Neeraj Chopra finished second at the Lausanne Diamond League with a season-best throw of 88.05m, missing out on the top spot by just nine centimetres. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage continued his impressive 2026 campaign, winning the event with an 88.14m effort.
The result extended Chopra’s wait for a victory, with his last win coming at the Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru in July 2025. However, his return to the 88m range will be a major positive, particularly after a difficult start to the season. Before Lausanne, Chopra had competed in just two events in 2026 — finishing fourth at the Doha Diamond League and second at the Commonwealth Games — without crossing the 86m mark in either competition.
He opened in Lausanne with an 83.54m throw, while Pathirage immediately established himself as the early leader with 85.99m before improving to 87.06m on his second attempt. Chopra responded strongly with his second throw, producing 88.05m to improve his previous season’s best by 2.23m and move into contention for the title. Pathirage, however, reclaimed the lead with his third attempt, sending the javelin 88.14m to secure another victory.
Neither athlete was able to better those marks in the remaining rounds, leaving Chopra to settle for second place. Pathirage topped the standings with a throw of 88.14m, followed by Neeraj at 88.05m. Anderson Peters finished third with 86.69m, while Keshorn Walcott recorded 83.71m for fourth place. Marc Anthony Minichello (80.06m), Curtis Thompson (78.13m), Jakub Vadlejch (77.32m), Artur Felfner (74.84m) and Simon Wieland (73.23m) completed the top nine.
Cristiano Ronaldo kickstarts probable final season with 977th career goal
Eugene (TIP): Cristiano Ronaldo has begun what could be his final season as a professional footballer in typically familiar fashion. The 41-year-old came off the bench to score his 977th career goal as Al Nassr began their campaign with a 4-0 win over Al Riyadh on Friday, Aug 21.
Ronaldo had recently suggested that this season could be his last as a professional footballer, adding extra significance to his return to action. The Portugal star had also recently married Georgina Rodriguez and was back in the Al Nassr squad after missing their opening Saudi Pro League win over Al Fateh and King’s Cup victory against Al Diriyah.
Al Nassr had already built a three-goal advantage by the time Ronaldo entered in the 62nd minute. Abdulelah Al-Amri, ngelo Gabriel and Joo Flix had found the net to put the visitors firmly in control.
Ronaldo needed only 21 minutes to make his presence felt. Aiman Yahya’s low cross found him inside the box, and the forward controlled the ball before sweeping his finish into the net from close range to take his career tally to 977.
The goal was Ronaldo’s 130th for Al Nassr since his move to Saudi Arabia in December 2022. It also extended his remarkable scoring run across 25 consecutive professional seasons.
Ronaldo comes into the new campaign after scoring 35 goals for club and country during the 2025-26 season. His latest strike also means he is now only 23 goals away from reaching 1,000, a landmark no player has officially achieved in senior professional football.
The timing makes the pursuit even more compelling. Ronaldo has indicated that the 2026-27 season could be his final campaign, meaning the race to four figures could unfold during the closing chapter of his career.
After returning from his recent break and celebrating a new chapter away from the pitch, Ronaldo has wasted little time creating another milestone on it. The 977th goal is in the books, and the remaining 23 could shape the final season of a career that has been defined by chasing numbers few thought possible.
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