Neeraj Chopra, the reigning Olympic javelin throw champion, revealed on Saturday that a persistent groin injury hampered his pursuit of a second consecutive gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Despite registering a season-best throw of 89.45 meters in his only valid attempt in the final, the 26-year-old fell short of the Olympic-record 92.97 meters achieved by Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan, who claimed the title.
Chopra acknowledged the injury’s impact on his performance, saying, “I did not think that I could not go that far. You can get those two or three extra meters if you get the release angle right. Even Arshad had a best of 90.18 meters earlier, mine was 89.94. He got those two meters all of a sudden and it was not that I could not have. Again, with the injury, I was unable to push myself how I wanted to.”
The injury’s presence also impacted his training leading up to the Games. “The throwing sessions are important in training. I had to limit those because of the injury. If I throw less, I do not get enough chances to work on the technique. It will take time, but once it is sorted, I’m sure the distance will go up,” he stated.
Despite the setbacks, Chopra remains determined to overcome the injury and reclaim his position as a top contender. He plans to finish his season with three Diamond League meets before undergoing treatment. He said, “The doctors had suggested surgery just a few months before the World Championship in Budapest. I wanted to get that gold, that was the only missing piece. The few sessions before the pain had surfaced, had been good. Then I had to pull out of a few competitions. The doctors said that surgery is the only way to cure this or else the pain can flare up any time. Had I gone for surgery, I would have been out of that World Championship and the remaining year. Plus, the recovery time for the Olympics would have been limited. We got the gold there and then at the Asian Games. Even in the off season, we did not have enough time to recover and come back for the Olympics. So we decided to take a conservative approach till the Olympics and then decide.”
Chopra’s focus now shifts to refining his technique and addressing the injury. He said, “I consider myself lucky to be with such a team. I have been with him (Klaus) since 2019. We have a good relationship, we plan things together. He cannot do much if I do not throw in practice. When I run with the javelin, the strain comes onto the groins when I take the crossover steps. So, that affects the technique. “Other than that, the line of my throw (can be improved). My throws moved inwards rather than in a straight line in Paris. The arm speed was fine. But the line could have made a difference of a couple of metres. So, now that I am restricted due to my groin, I will focus more on the line and the angle and try to perfect that.”
Chopra’s quest to breach the elusive 90-meter mark continues, with the Indian athlete determined to maintain his commitment to the sport and dedicate himself to training and improvement. “I have left it to God. Just work hard, prepare and give it your best, after that whatever has to happen will have. The 90 metre target has been talked about so much now that I have decided to let it be. I will just focus on training and trying to improve what I can in my technique,” he concluded.
