Picture Credit: Twitter
Olympic Gold medallist and champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra may not take part in the upcoming National Games, as he is coming off a groin injury and a gruelling season. Chopra recently registered another historic feat on he became the first Indian to win the prestigious Diamond League Finals title in Zurich.
With this monumental win, he concluded an incredible international season on a positive note. But a day later, he was questioned about taking part in the National Games, which will be hosted across cities in Gujarat from 29 September 29 to 12 October. He said that his participation in it could be doubtful by addressing his recovery from a major groin injury that pushed him out of the recently concluded Commonwealth Games.
While speaking to the media, Chopra said, “The National Games are approaching. I am just coming back from a groin injury, and I may not be able to train for one or two weeks. So I am primarily focused on next year.”
However, with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) making it compulsory for the top sportspersons to participate in the event, many athletes could be pushed to change their training schedules.
The IOA directive came after Home Minister Amit Shah launched the mascot and the anthem for the Games, which Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said would be the “biggest and grandest” ever.
The National Games are being held after a gap of seven years.
Talking about Chopra’s recent triumph, he had made a spectacular return from the one-month injury hiatus as he won the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League series on 26 August to qualify for the Finals. He then became the first Indian to clinch a Diamond League title in Lausanne with his third career-best throw of 89.08m.
Now, Neeraj Chopra has won the Olympic Gold in Tokyo, the Asian Games Gold in 2018, the Commonwealth Games Gold in the same year, and the World Athletics Championships silver in 2022. With him now winning the Diamond Trophy, he has completed the entire set.