Indian javelin thrower and two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra on Saturday confirmed his participation in the upcoming Diamond League competition in Lausanne on August 22. Chopra, who is battling a long-standing groin injury, won a silver medal at the recently concluded Paris Olympics, after having won a historic gold at the Tokyo edition of the Games three years ago.
“… I have finally decided to participate in the Lausanne Diamond League, which begins on August 22,” Chopra said during a virtual interaction with PTI.
After a hectic couple of days following the Olympic final on August 8, Chopra has started training in Switzerland and is determined to finish the season on a strong note despite the limitations imposed by the injury. Following the Diamond League season finale in Brussels on September 13-14, Chopra will consult with doctors about his groin injury, with surgery being the most likely option.
“The final treatment will be at the end of the season. There is only one month left. I will try to take care of myself as much as possible and consult with the doctors later. I was only thinking about the Diamond League in Zurich and the final. But fortunately the injury is fine.” (Pakistan’s golden boy Arshad Nadeem mocked after ‘SNORING’ audio interrupts his video; javelin athlete later deletes post)
“It usually gets worse after the competition but this time Ishan (physiotherapist Marwaha) bhai treated me in Paris. I would like to thank him. He has been with me since 2017 and has helped me overcome injuries and surgeries,” Chopra said.
The 26-year-old has been battling the injury since winning gold at the World Championships last year. Chopra needs to finish in the top six of the Diamond League Meetings series to qualify for the season finale in Brussels. (From Alisha Lehmann to Ana Markovic: the most followed female footballers on Instagram – In pictures)
“I came to Switzerland to train for the Diamond League. Fortunately, I didn’t aggravate my injury because I took good care of myself. I thought about continuing my season like most athletes. There’s one month left for the season to end. I’ll go to the doctor in my free time,” she said.
A back-to-back medal at the Summer Games was a monumental feat for an Indian athlete, but his throw fell well short of Arshad Nadeem’s sensational 92.97m, which comfortably secured a historic gold for the Pakistani. Neeraj revealed his struggle with injuries and expressed how he was unable to push himself to the limit to get the best out of his throw. Winning silver in Paris was not an easy task, but by his standards, we all know that Neeraj was not completely satisfied as he was aiming for gold by all means. (With inputs from PTI)
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