The budding rivalry between rising Sri Lankan star Rumesh Pathirage and Indian ace Neeraj Chopra will once again be an intriguing battle when the two square off in the Lausanne Diamond League meet on Friday with a spot in the DL grand finale in Brussels at stake. The duo will be up against each other three weeks after Pathirage clinched the gold and Chopra finished with a silver in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. The 23-year-old Pathirage has been in the form of his life this season, having also won the Doha and Rome Diamond League meetings, besides clinching gold in Glasgow with a throw of 89.75m. He also breached the coveted 90m mark with a season-leading throw of 92.62m in Rome in June.
The Lausanne Diamond League was to see the most high-profile competition in recent memory but it has lost some sheen with the pulling out of the reigning world champion Arshad Nadeem and newly-crowned European champion Julian Weber of Germany. The injury delayed his return until the Diamond League in Doha. “I can’t say my fitness is there like before.
He was not 100 per cent fit in Glasgow but was able to win a silver with a season’s best throw of 85.83m. But I’m getting there slowly,” the 28-year-old Chopra had said at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
For Chopra, the Lausanne meet is important to rise in the season-ending Diamond League Finals standings. The Diamond League Final winner will also get a spot in the World Athletics Ultimate Championships.
