Just hits and no misses? Bayern Munich came agonisingly close to lifting the UEFA Champions League at home in 2012. The Bavarian giants had to settle for a runners-up medal before Jupp Heynckes’ men ended their 12-year-long wait for a UEFA Champions League title in 2013. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City avenged their 2021 Champions League heartbreak against Chelsea by lifting the famous trophy with a narrow 1-0 win over Inter Milan in 2023. Even Team India witnessed a series of final heartbreaks in the lead-up to the epoch-making summit clash against South Africa in the Caribbean.
No one remembers a runner-up or do they? It was at the Kuortane Games 2021 when javelin superstar Neeraj Chopra last settled for a place outside the top 2. On Saturday, Neeraj bagged another podium finish in his near-miss season as the two-time Olympic medalist came second only by 0.01m in the 2024 Diamond League final. Upstaged by comeback man Anderson Peters, India’s ‘golden boy’ produced a best throw of 87.86m at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels yesterday. With Neeraj falling short by one cm, Peters unleashed the 87.87m winner to claim the Diamond trophy in Comic City.
Neeraj ends 2024 season with narrow misses
Replicating his 2023 performance, Chopra ended the 2024 season with the runners-up honour in the Diamond League. The reigning world champion previously produced second-place finishes at the Paris Olympics, Doha Diamond League, and Lausanne Diamond League this season. Closing the 2024 season with yet another second-place finish, world champion Chopra pocketed USD 12,000 (INR 10.06 lakh) in the grand finale of the Diamond League series.
|
Place
|
Series Prize Money
|
|
1
|
$10,000
|
|
2
|
$6,000
|
|
3
|
$3,500
|
|
4
|
$2,000
|
|
5
|
$1,250
|
|
6
|
$1,000
|
|
7
|
$750
|
|
8
|
$500
|
Chopra earns over INR 20 Lakh
Securing the fourth place in the overall standings, the javelin sensation bagged 14 points. The 26-year-old opened his account in the league series by taking the second spot (88.36m) at Doha. Landing his season-best throw of 89.49m in the final attempt, the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist qualified for the league final by taking the second spot at Lausanne. Drawing USD 12,000 as prize money from the series, Neeraj doubled his tally in the final. Top-ranked Peters not only took home the Diamond Trophy but the Paris Games bronze medallist also received USD 30,000 (Rs. 25.16 lakh) as prize money. The Grenadian javelin thrower is also a wild card for the World Athletics Championships.
|
Place
|
Diamond League Final Prize Money
|
|
1
|
$30,000
|
|
2
|
$12,000
|
|
3
|
$7,000
|
|
4
|
$4,000
|
|
5
|
$2,500
|
|
6
|
$2,000
|
|
7
|
$1500
|
|
8
|
$1000
|
Was Neeraj awarded prize money for silver in Paris?
Chopra famously finished ahead of Peters at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Shattering the world record at the grandest stage, Arshad Nadeem achieved a personal best of 92.97m to strike Pakistan’s first Olympic gold since 1984 in the 2024 edition of the Summer Games. Neeraj joined ex-wrestler Sushil Kumar (2008 and 2012) and ace shuttler PV Sindhu (2016 and 2021) with consecutive Olympic medals in Paris. However, there was no cash incentive for silver medallist Neeraj in Paris. Olympic champion Arshad received US$50,000 as cash rewards were only given to Olympic champions in Paris. From the 2028 Summer Games, silver and bronze medallists will also be awarded with cash prizes.
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