NEW DELHI, Jan 3: Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is focussing on rehabilitation of his back injury he had suffered just before the World Championships last September and has not yet decided when and where to start the season, Athletics Federation of India (AFI) said on Saturday.
Chopra competed in the World Championships in Tokyo in September 2025 with a back injury and he finished a lowly eighth with a best throw of 84.03m, a far cry from the season and personal best of 90.23m in May last.
"He (Chopra) is taking a break. He recovering from his injuries. He had two injuries. The focus is on rehabilitation, I think that is the most important thing, not the opener," AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla said when asked about Chopra's likely opening event of the season.
"Hats off to him that he took part in the world championships. I have seen his injury, the swelling, and he still took part. We told him, don't do it. He said 'no sir, I will try'. He never said a word like 'I couldn't throw because of my injury'," Sumariwalla said while addressing a press conference here.
Lauding the attitude of Chopra, a two-time Olympic medallist and world championships title winner, former AFI president Sumariwalla said, "There is only one Neeraj Chopra. I have seen people who have not done a thousandth of the performance of Neeraj Chopra talk so much that they want this, they want that. But this poor guy (Neeraj) doesn't say anything. Hats off to him."
Last year, Chopra began the season in April in a low-key event in South Africa before the high-stake Diamond League competition in May in Doha where he breached the 90m mark. In 2024, he began with the Doha Diamond League in May.
Recently, Chopra had shared pictures of the wedding reception he had thrown in his home state on his social media accounts. He had married former tennis player Himani Mor in a private ceremony early in 2025. |
