In a major setback for India, Tokyo Olympics javelin gold medallist Neeraj Chopra has been ruled out of the Commonwealth Games 2022 due to an injury.(More Sports News)
The 24-year-old suffered a groin injury during his silver medal-winning feat at the recently-concluded World Athletics Championships 2022 in Eugene. Neeraj Chopra was a hot favourite to win a medal at CWG 2022 and was also set to be the flag bearer for India at the opening ceremony.
IOA Secretary General Rajiv Mehta said the reigning Olympic champion has been advised rest for one month.
“Team India javelin thrower Mr. Neeraj Chopra had called me earlier today from the US to convey his inability to take part in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games owing to fitness concern,” Mehta said.
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“Following his participation in the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Mr. Chopra had had an MRI scan done on Monday and, based on it, he has been advised a month's rest by his medical team,” Mehta added.
With no Neeraj at CWG 2022 now, the Indian Olympic Association will now have to look at someone else for the job. Sources suggest PV Sindhu is likely to be the fragbearer for India. "We have a meeting later in the day to decide the new flag-bearer," India team's chef de mission Rajesh Bhandari told PTI.
After his Tokyo Olympics gold, Neeraj Chopra has been in tremendous form this year finishing on the podium in all the four competitions he participated at and broke his own national record twice.
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Neeraj did that first in his season-opening outing at the Paavo Nurmi Games at Turku in Finland with a throw of 89.30m on June 14.
He bettered his national mark again during the prestigious Diamond League Meeting in Stockholm on June 30 with an effort of 89.94m, just 6cm shy of 90m, the gold standard of the javelin world. In between, he won gold at the Kuortane Games in Finland in a with a throw of 86.79m.
At the World Athletics Championships 2022, Neeraj Chopra began with a foul throw and had 82.39m and 86.37m to be at fourth after three rounds.
He got his rhythm back with a big fourth round throw of 88.13m, his fourth career-best effort, to jump to second place, which he held on to till the end. His fifth and sixth throws were fouls.
It was during the fourth throw, that he realised some discomfort in his groin which he admitted after the event.
“I also sustained a groin pull after the fourth throw and thought I would be able to better my show in the final two throws but there were lots of things going on in the mind at that time but still happy to win a silver for India,” Neeraj had said.
