Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 21 (ANI): Former Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan and pacer Ishant Sharma hailed India's world champion and Olympic gold medalist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra for his victory at the Paris Diamond League on Friday.

Chopra once again proved his dominance on the global stage, winning the Paris Diamond League title on Friday night (local time) with a commanding first-round throw of 88.16 metres. Despite three no-marks in the middle rounds, his opening effort was enough to keep him on top throughout the competition.

Taking to X, Dhawan wrote, 'What a champion. What a moment. So proud of you, @Neeraj_chopra1 for clinching the Paris Diamond League title with a huge 88.16m throw in the very first round!'

https://x.com/SDhawan25/status/1936411334364762447

Ishant Sharma also wrote, 'Congratulations to @Neeraj_chopra1 on winning the Paris Diamond League with a massive 88.16m throw. Thank you for making the country proud!'

https://x.com/ImIshant/status/1936354487293366730

Marvelling at Neeraj's consistency, former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik also called him one of India's greatest athletes.

'He has to be one of, if not the greatest INDIAN athlete What UNREAL consistency,' posted Karthik on X.

https://x.com/DineshKarthik/status/1936312110813974702

Chopra set the tone early, launching the spear 88.16m on his first attempt, immediately taking the lead. Germany's Julian Weber came close with a best of 87.88m but fell short. Brazil's Mauricio Luiz da Silva secured third place with a throw of 86.62m.

In the opening round, Chopra led the field, followed by Weber's 87.88m and Trinidad and Tobago's Keshorn Walcott with 80.94m.

In the second round, Weber briefly merged an 86.20m throw, while Neeraj recorded 85.10m and Walcott slightly improved to 81.66m. However, Chopra's opening throw remained unmatched.

The third round saw Da Silva make his mark with a throw of 86.62m. Weber tried to mount a late challenge with throws of 83.13m in the fourth and 84.50m in the fifth round, but he could not cross the 88m mark. In the final round, Neeraj returned to the sector with a solid 82.89m, while Weber finished with 81.08m and Da Silva with 78.56m.

Despite the inconsistency in the middle of the competition, Chopra's single legal throw in the first round proved decisive and enough to seal the win.

The two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj will be in action for the inaugural edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic, which will take place on July 5. The NC Classic was originally slated to be held on May 24 but was later postponed to July 5 due to the cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan. (ANI)