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India’s ‘Golden Boy’ Neeraj Chopra , who will be eyeing to defend his Tokyo Olympics gold medallist at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics, took to social media to pull out of the upcoming Ostrava Golden Spike meet. The javelin thrower on Sunday, May 26 in his Instagram story said that he is feeling “something in his adductor” and has thus decided to opt out of the tournament as a precautionary measure.
However, the 26-year-old clarified that he is “not injured” and 2024 being an Olympic year, he doesn’t want to risk injury. “Hello everyone! Following a recent throwing session, I felt something in my adductor. I have had problems with it in the past and pushing it at this stage can lead to injury,” he said.
Furthermore, he clarified adding, “Just to clarify, I am not injured but I don’t want to take any risk during the Olympic year so had to take this decision. Once I feel it’s fully recovered, I will get back to competitions.”
Organisers of Ostrava Golden Spike confirm Neeraj Chopra’s withdrawal
The Ostrava Golden Spike meet will host its 63rd edition on May 28, Tuesday. But ahead of the event, the organisers of the event in their official statement also confirmed Neeraj Chopra’s withdrawal from the tournament.
“The javelin throw at Ostrava Golden Spike promises a great experience. The organizers did note a message from the Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra. Due to an injury that he sustained in training two weeks ago (adductor muscle) he will not be able to throw in Ostrava, but he will arrive at the event as a guest,” their statement read.
Moreover, they confirmed that Julian Weber of Germany will replace Chopra in the competition. “The best possible replacement was managed by the organisers. European champion Julian Weber from Germany, who threw 88.37 on Friday, the third best perfomance of the year, will come to Ostrava. It will be a big test for Jakub Vadlejch before the EC in Rome,” the statement further added.
