Olympic champions are set to be featured at the Doha 2024 Wanda Diamond League which will host Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim and Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra’s bids for redemption and victory.
Olympic champions will kick off their 2024 Wanda Diamond League campaigns when they compete at the Seashore Group Doha Meeting on May 10.
Marking the third meeting of the 2024 Wanda Diamond League, the Seashore Group Doha Meeting will see athletes compete for points.
The most successful in each discipline will qualify for the Wanda Diamond League Final at the end of the season.
Meetings in Paris, Monaco, and London will be held shortly before the Paris Summer Olympics, offering the last attempts to earn points in the games.
The season will enter its final stretch after the Olympics in Lausanne, Silesia, Rome, and Zurich before the September season finale in Brussels.
Mutaz Barshim, Qatar’s golden falcon, will appear at his home tournament in hopes of redemption.
Last year the high jumper and Olympic Champion was unable to finish on top in the men’s high jump event as he fell short of hometown expectations, reaching a disappointing third.
His appearance will follow after he secured second place in the men’s high jump final at the Suzhou Diamond League meeting.
At 32, Barshim recorded 2.31m and 2.33m, settling for second place. The star voiced that his goal was not to push himself too hard.
“The weather is way better Compared to the last meeting in Xiamen. Due to the rain (in Xiamen), I was really concerned, and I did not want to push myself too hard because I did not want to be injured and ruin my season. The Olympics is the goal with my next competition in Doha in two weeks,” he said.
The Qatari high jumper is planning on appearing at his fourth Olympics appearance.
Meanwhile, Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra will face off against Jakub Vadlejch and Anderson Peters as he kicks off his bid to regain the Wanda Diamond League title in Doha.
Chopra, the reigning world and Olympic champion in the men’s javelin, became the first Indian athlete ever to be crowned Wanda Diamond League champion when he claimed the Diamond Trophy in 2022.
Earlier this year, the 26-year-old star credited his victory to the Qatari environment and tournament audiences.
“This year, my personal goal is to defend my Olympic title, but it would also mean a lot to me to break the 90m barrier. The Doha Meeting, with good conditions and a great atmosphere, is a perfect opportunity to get my season off to the best start,” Chopra said.
“I’m always overwhelmed by the warm support I get from Indians across the world, and in Qatar, that is particularly special. I feel privileged that so many people come out to support me, and I hope I can repay their faith in me with a good performance,” Chopra added.
Losing his title to current Wanda Diamond League champion Jakub Vadlejch last season, Chopra will aim to make a good start to this year’s title tilt when he returns to Doha.
Chopra beat both Vadlejch and Anderson Peters in Doha last season with an exceptional 88.67m.
Chopra will be joined alongside several leads like European champion Julian Weber, World Championships finalist Oliver Helander, Qatari record holder Ahmed Bader Magour, Asian Games silver medallist and World Championships finalist Kishore Jena, Lithuanian record holder and World University Games champion Edis Matusevicius, Asian champion and Asian Games bronze medallist Roderick Genki Dean, Moldovan record holder and Olympic finalist Andrian Mardare as well as Pan American Games champion Curtis Thompson.
