CHENNAI: World and Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will be back in action after a gap of over a month at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku on Tuesday. He last competed at the Senior Federation Nationals Athletics Competition on May 15. Though he entered his name at the Ostrava Golden Spike meet in late May, he skipped the event because he felt uncomfortable with his adductor.
The 26-year-old would hope for a good throw before the Paris Olympics. Since he missed Ostrava and will not be competing at Kourtane, his performance in Paavo Nurmi will be crucial. The field too is quite heavy with top throwers lining up to test their skills.
Anderson Peters of Grenada and Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago would be Neeraj’s rivals. However, it is local favourite Oliver Halendar he should worry about because he beat Neeraj despite throwing a mammoth 89.30m last year. It would also be fascinating to watch youn sensation Max Dehning.