Neeraj Chopra returned to competitive action with a 4th place finish at the 2026 Doha Diamond League on Friday. He threw a best of 85.69m.
It was an event that had few big throws, and the biggest came from current world lead and rising javelin superstar Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage of Sri Lanka, who hit a best of 88.68m in round 4 to win the Doha leg.
Behind him, and above Neeraj, came reigning World Championships silver medalist Anderson Peters who hit a best of 86.38m and reigning Worlds bronze medalist Curtis Thompson with a best of 85.99m
At a venue traditionally known for 90m+ throws (Neeraj's sole 90m+ throw came here last year, an event where he finished second behind Julian Weber), the throwers seemed to struggle for rhythm. Thompson led round 1, Anderson Peters rounds 2 and 3, before Pathirage took over in round 4.
Meanwhile, Neeraj started with a foul, before hitting a modest 82.77m to get his first mark. His best came in round 3, when he hit 85.69m and at the time that was good enough for third place. He followed that up with an 83.45m throw and as he looked to hunt down the top three, fouled out in round 5.
In the Diamond League, only the top three get a chance to throw in round 6: and that meant the foul marked the end of Neeraj's return to action.
The 85.69m Neeraj hit was enough, though, to meet the Athletics Federation of India's qualification standard of 83.5m and that means Neeraj has booked his ticket to Glasgow 2026.
You can relive all the action from Doha right here: