India's javelin sensation Neeraj Chopra shared his struggles with injury after securing a silver medal at the Olympics. He revealed that he might soon need surgery, having pushed himself to the limit to compete while constantly battling the fear of aggravating his injury.
Chopra was grappling with a persistent adductor issue (related to thigh muscles) in the lead-up to the Paris Games. Despite this, he managed a season-best throw of 89.45m, securing a silver medal and becoming the first Indian track-and-field athlete to win two Olympic medals—the first being his historic gold in Tokyo. Chopra finished behind Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who set a new Olympic record with a throw of 92.97m, making him his country’s first individual Olympic gold medalist.
"I have a lot on my mind. When I am throwing, 60-70% focus is on the injury. I don't want to get injured. Whenever I go for a throw, you will see that my speed is low. I am pushing myself," Chopra admitted.
"The doctor told me to go for surgery, but I didn't have enough time to make that decision before or after the world championship, because it takes a lot of time to prepare for the Olympics," he added, referencing his gold win at the 2023 world championship.
Despite not being in top form, the 26-year-old became only the third Indian to win back-to-back Olympic medals after PV Sindhu and Sushil Kumar.
"I am still pushing myself," Chopra said with a note of frustration. "It's not good in sport to push and continue. If you want a long career, you need to be fit and healthy. But there are competitions where you can't make a decision. Now we will work on this and work on the technique," he added.
Chopra mentioned that he would consult with his team before making any decisions. He also reflected on the challenges he has faced over the past seven years concerning his fitness. "I felt this in 2017. After that, I got a lot of treatments. But I will have to make a big decision for this," he noted.
Chopra expressed his determination to achieve greater distances, though he didn't explicitly mention the 90m mark. His career-best throw remains 89.94m, achieved in 2022. "The distance that I had in me in 2016, especially in 2018, when I scored an 88m in the Asian Games, after that, I feel that I still have a lot of throws left. So, until that happens, I won't be able to find peace. And I want to tell you that there is a lot inside," he shared, without delving into specifics.
"And I will do it. I will keep my mind ready for the future. I will work on things. I will keep myself fit."
For the first time, Chopra spoke about how much the injury has affected his performance. "I am not able to throw from a full runway. I have been throwing for the past year or two. Maximum throwers throw 40-50 in a session. It took me 2-3 weeks to complete a session because there is a fear of injury. It is very difficult. I am forcefully pulling it," he explained.
He highlighted the importance of his lower body in achieving the right elevation and speed. "If the rest of the body doesn't work, it won't help. I can go for a heavy and fast heave but when there is a broken leg, there are a lot of technical things. It is very difficult to throw with just the arm, to put all your power on it. It gets wasted if the legs don't work properly. So there are a lot of technical things. I will not go into it, you won't understand," he added.
Chopra also expressed his frustration at missing competitions due to fitness issues. "My coach always says that if you get a good blocking leg and a good groin then the throw will be 2-3-4 meters ahead, and then I have to send a message saying, 'Sorry, I have to withdraw'. Personally, I don't like it at all," he said.
Read also | Neeraj Claims Silver as Pakistan's Nadeem Breaks Olympic Record for Gold
