Tonight, Neeraj Chopra will start his preparations for the 2028 LA Olympics as he embarks on his first assignment after the Paris Games. Neeraj Chopra will compete in the Diamond League in Switzerland. This is the final competition of the season for athletics. The ace javelin thrower didn’t participate in most of the Diamond League events due to a groin injury this season. The only time he competed in the Diamond League was in Doha in May, where he recorded a throw of 88.36 metres.
Neeraj Chopra won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics with his season-best throw of 89.35 metres this month, where he lost the gold to Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who crossed the 90m mark to create an Olympic record with a 92.97m throw at the Games.
Silver at Paris: A near-miss at gold
He couldn’t give his best effort at the Paris Olympics as his injury is fresh and has been hindering him. After the Paris Olympics, he said, “When I throw, I always focus almost 50 percent on my injury. We have to focus mostly on technique, but it’s really hard for me with this injury.”
Neeraj has achieved everything in the world of javelin. If at the age of 26, he has accomplished so much, then what is the need to compete in a Diamond League with an injury?
A starry career
Neeraj is one of the most highly regarded athletes in the javelin world. He has achieved two medals at the Olympics, including one gold and one silver, two medals at the World Championships, two golds at the Asian Games, a gold in the Commonwealth Games, and a gold again in the Asian Championships. Still, the golden boy has to fulfill his potential on the world stage.
Searching for the peak
Despite breaking his records and clinching medals globally, Chopra still hasn’t peaked. The Haryanvi javelin thrower needs longevity in his career, but his adductor injury is preventing him from reaching his maximum potential. Instead of addressing his injury, he’s making it worse by competing in less important tournaments like the Diamond League. Neeraj Chopra is not just an athlete, but an emotion for all Indians and is an important asset for the country. His injury is a concern not just for him but for the whole nation.
Neeraj to know his injury
However, concerns aside, Neeraj is the best judge of his injury. In a recent media interaction, he mentioned that his injury has been monitored by the best in the sports science industry and that he has been receiving world-class treatment. He knows how to manage his injury and move forward. From the outset, it’s fine, but we still wonder why he needs to compete in the Diamond League. Maybe Neeraj knows his injury, but there have been instances where pushing beyond limits has led to career-threatening injuries for athletes.
An exemplary tale: PV Sindhu’s injury and its aftermath
Let’s understand this with an example. If you remember what happened with PV Sindhu during the Commonwealth Games 2022. During the games, Sindhu sustained a stress fracture in her left foot in the quarterfinals. Instead of retiring, the Indian shuttler continued playing until the finals, playing with a tape on her left leg to manage the discomfort. She won the gold medal, but at what cost? After the games, the shuttler was forced to withdraw from the BWF Championships and other tournaments.
She risked the injury, and because of it, she hasn’t been the same since. Since making her return in January 2023, first-round exits have become frequent for her. She has not secured any BWF tournament victories in 2023. The injury severely affected her training and disrupted her momentum ahead of the Paris Olympics. The repercussions of the injury resulted in a disappointing performance at the Paris Olympics.
Hoping for the best
We all want to see Neeraj win more medals, we are here to cheer him on, but we don’t want to lose our national treasure because of a tournament that isn’t as important as the Olympics. We want to see more of Neeraj Chopra and want to see him finish on top of the podium at LA 2028. One can only hope he can withstand the rigours of this Diamond League and come back stronger.
