Neeraj Chopra back for open test
CHENNAI: After a one-year-absence from competitions, Indian athletics’ poster boy Neeraj Chopra will return to action at the 59th National Open Athletics Championships in Ranchi that will begin on Thursday. Neeraj last took part in the All-India Inter-Services Championships in September last year. The 21-year-old was operated on by renowned orthopaedic surgeon Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala on May 2 at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai. The junior world champion went under the knife to remove bone fragments from his right elbow joint.
The javelin star had been complaining of soreness in his elbow since November last year. Neeraj was part of an elite athletes camp in South Africa in March. However, injuries forced him to miss the Asian Championship in April and the recently-concluded World Championships. Though the Panipat native resumed training last month, he was not fit enough to take part in the Worlds. Neeraj enjoyed a fruitful 2018, winning gold at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and setting a national record (86.47m) before bettering that mark (88.06m) with his gold-winning throw at the Asian Games in Jakarta.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) will be watching him closely in Ranchi. A top AFI official has said they did not want to risk him immediately. However, he insisted on participating. “He said he was fit and has been doing some 82m during practice and he wants to test himself at the Open Nationals. So we allowed him to participate. One must understand he is coming after a long break,” said an official. It is understood that the AFI feels it would be good for him if he doesn’t exert himself too much. Distance will be not much of a concern for AFI officials. “Our focus is the Olympics next year so this will be just another throw on his way to complete recovery.”
Shivpal Singh will also give it a go in Ranchi after flopping in Doha. Shivpal had produced a personal best of 86.23m earlier this year.
However, his Worlds campaign came to a disappointing end, throwing 78.97m to finish 24th overall. Despite being a season-ender, most of the athletes who participated in the World Championships will be taking part in Ranchi including the 4x400m relay teams. While the entry-list put out by AFI does not have the names of some of the athletes who went to Doha, they will be given special permission.
Except for Muhammed Anas and VK Vismaya, none of the quarter-milers could make the kind of impact they did during the build-up to the World Championships.There were a lot of controversies and injuries leading up to the Worlds. Anas was not even entered in the 400m — his main event — so that he could be in the best physical shape during the relays. However, Anas feels that they did their best considering the circumstances. “Doha was a good experience. The relay was our target. But we could not do as planned in the men’s and women’s event. After the Open Nationals, I think we will be given some time off to rest and recover. Then we will join our respective camps as we begin preparing for the Olympics,” Anas told this daily.
Vismaya said that she will give it her all and try to better her timing in Ranchi. “We have had so many competitions over the last few months. Though we are tired, I will race with full intensity in Ranchi. I have never won a senior medal in India and that is my target,” she said.