Ever since Neeraj Chopra won gold at the Tokyo Olympics and later was crowned the world champion, he has often hit the No 1 spot in competitions. That’s because of his consistency. He touched 89.94 metres in mid-2022; so 90 metres was only a natural progression. Then he was injured and had to miss the Commonwealth Games in 2022. Year 2023 was remarkable with gold at the World Championships and Asian Games.
However, the latest season panned out differently as Neeraj competed in fewer events. In terms of improving his distance, there was a bit of stagnancy. What seemed effortless in the previous couple of years, seemed laboured this time. He had to rely on his last few throws to ascend the table.
There have been discussions about a groin injury troubling him for some time, but Neeraj did not reveal it until the Paris Olympics, where he finished with silver behind Arshad Nadeem. He again finished second at the Diamond League in Brussels; there, too, he revealed he had fractured his left hand days before the event. It has been a year of second finishes and injuries.
But the season presented another side of Neeraj—of one who would not give up even when things are not going his way. At the Olympics, he had only one competitive throw of 89.45 m. Like most Indian medallists, he could have ended his season there. But he stood by his commitment to the Diamond League.
At Lausanne, where he peaked better, he had to rely on his penultimate throw of 89.49 metres to push himself to the second spot. So, for the 26-year-old, it was a year he understood his body better, one in which he had to be mentally very strong. He might not have improved his performance, but he grew as an athlete while finding ways to navigate from tight spots.
The next season will be different. The world will see a more mature athlete. He has to take care of his adductor—deciding soon on whether to go for surgery or rehab, so that he is fit for the next season. With the World Championships scheduled next September, he would get time to recover. And he would want to defend the gold he won in Budapest.