CHENNAI: Just as he was getting back to form, India's double Olympic medallist and 2023 World Champion Neeraj Chopra announced on Saturday that he is sitting out for the rest of the season due to injury
In an Instagram post, Chopra said that he suffered a ligament tear in his ankle during training and has confirmed that he will sit out the rest of the season, meaning he would miss the Asian Games in Japan next month.
"After a period of hard work, I finally felt I was gaining the momentum I had been looking for with a Season Best throw (of 88.05m) in Lausanne," the post said.
"It is disappointing," Neeraj makes of the injury on his post, before adding, "especially becuase I felt close to finding my rhythm. But as they say, setbacks are a part of the journey."
Chopra missed out on initial part of the 2026 season as he recovered from a back injury soon after the Tokyo World Championships last year. He returned to competition at the Qatar Diamond League and threw 85.69m. Then, he won silver at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July with a mark of 85.83m, before his season best of 88.05m in Lausanne.
With this injury, the competition field at the Asian Games will only have Rumesh Pathirage of Sri Lanka and Rohit Yadav as the medal prospects. Arshad Nadeem, who could only throw as far as 77.41m in CWG, may find some form in Japan, Yash Vir Singh, who hauled a personal best of 85.41m to win bronze in Glasgow, also stands a good chance at the podium.