New Delhi: Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra will be missing the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2022. Thus, he will also miss on the chance of writing another international record under his name.
Secretary General of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), Rajeev Mehta, said the Javelin thrower Chopra informed that he is unfit for participating in the upcoming Common Wealth Games 2022.
“Neeraj Chopra will miss the Commonwealth games as his fitness is not 100%. He had injured his groin and after scans, has been told to rest for one month. Consequently, he will not be taking part in the Commonwealth Games,” said Rajeev Mehta, IOA General Secretary.
Neeraj Chopra could become only India to create THIS record
India has never got any medal in Javelin Throw in CWG2022 and Neeraj could change that but he will be missing his first Commonwealth Games.
A couple of years before Neeraj Chopra struck gold at Tokyo Olympics, he had suffered a career-threatening elbow injury. The 24-year-old athlete also missed the 2019 World Championships in Doha while recovering from the surgery. Neeraj consulted an orthopedic surgeon for surgery, at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai.
Chopra also posted a couple of images where Neeraj was seen lying on the hospital bed with a surgically repaired elbow and in the other image, he was lying on the bed as he posed with the prized Olympic gold medal.
“From May 2019 to today; from an elbow brace to a medal in my hand–it has been quite the journey! I am grateful for Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala’s medical support and my team (coach @bartonietz and physio @ishaanphysio ) who have been by my side throughout the past 2 years. I hope this medal can inspire all those who are facing tough times in their lives to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Happy #IndependenceDay, Jai Hind!”
In an interview, Neeraj also said, “I had trained really hard for the World Championships. It was constantly on my mind, whenever I was at the training. But injury ki wajah se sab gadbad ho gaya.”
“I started feeling my injury back in November 2018. I continued to train but was not having too many issues despite the pain. But it aggravated by April. The inflammation in the joint caused Neeraj so much pain that he was unable to event pick up a javelin. The X-rays showed severe damage and I required surgery, which I got done in May last year,” he added.
The Olympic gold medalist also told how he recovered after the injury, “After surgery, I immediately started cycling, because I was unable to move my hand. Later, I started hand and strengthening exercises and slowly started gaining my strength. I kept myself motivated by setting a target for myself each day to do better than the previous day. I was unable to participate in tournaments, but I was able to train, which kept my morale up.”
Advice from friends and family helped Neeraj to move forward and not give up. “Everyone told me that injuries are a part of an athlete’s life’. They told me not to worry too much about time off the track and just focus on my recovery.”
On missing the World Championships in Doha, Neeraj said, “I had only one thing in my mind – that I have an injury, there was nothing I could do. Ye samay bhi kat jaega. Whether I remain happy or sad, I had to accept my situation. So I convinced myself if I cannot perform at Worlds, I will work even harder for the Olympics next year. I kept myself happy. Aesa nahi ki bohot dukhi raha main,” he added.
Returning to competition for the first time since November 2018, Neeraj threw the javelin a whopping 87.86m at ACNW League Meet in Potchefstroom, South Africa, and cleared the Olympic qualification mark of 85m to book himself a ticket to Tokyo. If Neeraj had participated at Worlds and thrown the same distance, he would have won the gold.
