Neeraj Chopra misses gold by 9 cm, finishes second in Lausanne Diamond League; Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage beats him for third time

Neeraj Chopra came agonisingly close to a Lausanne Diamond League victory on Friday, but nine centimetres separated him from gold.

Chopra's 88.05m throw put him briefly on top of the men's javelin standings. Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage responded with 88.14m to take the lead and eventually the title, beating Chopra for the third time in their three meetings this season.

The result leaves Pathirage with a perfect record against Chopra in 2026, while the Indian secured valuable points in his bid to qualify for the Diamond League Final.

Nine centimetres decide the contest

The Lausanne competition effectively came down to the two 88-metre throws.

Chopra's second attempt was his best of the evening. At 88.05m, it moved him ahead and gave him a genuine chance of finally getting past Pathirage after defeats in Doha and at the Commonwealth Games.

But the advantage did not last.

Pathirage followed with 88.14m, improving on Chopra's mark by just 0.09m. Neither athlete managed to better those distances afterwards, leaving the Sri Lankan on top.

Chopra finished with 88.05m, while Grenada's Anderson Peters took third with 86.69m.

Pathirage has now beaten Chopra three times

What makes the Lausanne result more significant is the pattern behind it.

Pathirage first got the better of Chopra at the Doha Diamond League, where his 88.68m throw secured victory. He then finished ahead of Chopra at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Chopra therefore arrived in Lausanne looking to reverse the result of their previous two encounters.

For a moment, it appeared he might do exactly that. His 88.05m throw gave him the lead, but Pathirage once again produced the longer effort when it mattered.

The nine-centimetre margin was the closest of their three contests this season.

Chopra still adds important points

The silver medal is not without significance for Chopra.

He entered the Lausanne meeting seventh in the Diamond League javelin standings with five points and was chasing a place in the season-ending Diamond League Final.

A strong finish in Lausanne improves his position ahead of the remaining qualification battle in Zurich, where the final opportunity to collect points awaits.

For Pathirage, however, Lausanne was another victory in a rivalry that has quickly become one of the season's biggest storylines in men's javelin.

This time, nine centimetres were all that stood between Chopra and his first win over Pathirage in 2026.

Lausanne Diamond League men's javelin result

Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage: 88.14m

Neeraj Chopra: 88.05m

Anderson Peters: 86.69m

Keshorn Walcott: 83.71m

Marc Anthony Minichello: 80.06m