FACT CHECK: Did Neeraj Chopra win silver in Diamond League final? Jay Shah’s social media post stirs confusion

New Delhi: BCCI secretary Jay Shah congratulated double Olympic medallist javelin ace Neeraj Chopra for bringing home a silver medal from the Diamond League final that concluded on Saturday night in Brussels. The Indian Olympic champion came agonisingly close to winning the Diamond League crown before missing it by just one centimetre to finish as runner-up for the second consecutive year with a throw of 87.86m. Anderson Peters of Grenada won the final with a 87.87m throw.

Neeraj, who added a silver to his Olympic medal tally in Paris following a historic gold at the Tokyo Games, thus ended his season on a high. Reacting to Neeraj’s feat, Shah wrote on X, “@Neeraj_chopra1 has made India proud, growing from strength to strength, proving his mettle on yet another day. I am proud, as you score another silver at Brussels Diamond League and hope you keep bringing more glory to the nation!”

Did Neeraj really win a silver medal at the Diamond League final?

The answer is clearly NO. Despite the fact that Neeraj finished second in the competition, the 27-year-old didn’t get any medal from the organizers. Nor did Peters get a medal for finishing on top. Unlike the other competitions, Diamond League doesn’t have a concept of rewarding with medals.

.@Neeraj_chopra1 has made India proud, growing from strength to strength, proving his mettle on yet another day. I am proud, as you score another silver at Brussels Diamond League and hope you keep bringing more glory to the nation! pic.twitter.com/FhEbGiTsir

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) September 15, 2024

Diamond League is a basically a series of 14 meetings of 16 disciplines of athletics. At the end of 13th meeting, the top six in the field events, top eight for 100m-800m and the top ten for 1500m and long distance events qualify for the final.
Instead of medalling the top three finishers, the organizers award the top eight athletes with points and cash prizes based on their positions.

How much did Neeraj earn?

Neeraj will pocket USD 12,000 (Rs 10,06,599) for his second-place finish in the grand finale. Peters will collect a Diamond League trophy and USD 30,000 (Rs 25,16,497) for emerging as the champion this season.