Ancient Indian javelin Neeraj ChopraA long-awaited return to competition ended with a fourth-place finish at the Doha Diamond League 2026 on Friday, as Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage continued his impressive rise to victory in a top-class field. Making his first appearance in eight months after recovering from a back injury, Chopra showed his best form but ultimately failed to finish. The 28-year-old produced a season-opening personal best of 85.69 meters in his third attempt, which eventually left him fourth in the final. The evening did not start well for the former Olympian. Chopra opened with a nasty throw before slowly settling into a rhythm. Shaking off the rust, he made his best effort in the third round, a throw of 85.69 meters that moved him up a notch into the top three. He followed up with an attempt of 83.45 meters in the fourth round and remained firmly in contention for fifth. However, with the top three pushing beyond the 85-meter mark, Chopra needed to throw over 86 meters to keep his place among the top three and advance to the finals. Instead, he registered another bad throw, ending his competition and dropping to fourth place as only three competitors made it to the final attempt. Although the results were not as expected, Chopra still achieved an important goal. His effort of 85.69 meters surpassed the Athletics Federation of India’s Commonwealth Games standard of 82.61 meters, solidifying his preparations for Glasgow 2026. The Indian star has already been named in the country’s 32-man squad for the tournament, which is scheduled to run from July 23 to August 2. At the top of the stands, Pathirage explained why he is a world leader. Fresh from his stunning throw of 92.62 meters at the Rome Diamond League earlier this month, the Sri Lankan cleared 88.68 meters to defend the title. Grenada’s Anderson Peters finished second with a best throw of 86.38 meters, while American Curtis Thompson took third place with 85.99 meters. For Chopra, the Doha meeting represented the first positive step after a long injury layoff. Despite a difficult podium finish, India’s javelin ace showed enough promise to suggest she will be a strong contender as the season progresses towards the Commonwealth Games and other major tournaments later this year.