Mumbai: Olympic gold medal-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will miss the Commonwealth Games 2022 because of an injury that he sustained during the World Athletics Championships.
On Sunday, Chopra became the first-ever Indian to win a silver medal at World Athletics Championships.
“He (Neeraj Chopra) is not fit as he got injured in the finals of World Athletics Championships. He informed us about this,” Rajeev Mehta, IOA Secretary General, confirmed the omission of India’s star athlete from CWG 2022.
The report comes days before the Commonwealth Games 2022, and Neeraj won a silver medal in the men’s javelin throw event at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
In his fourth attempt, the Indian javelin thrower managed to record a throw of 88.13m and became only the second Indian athlete to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships. After the win, Chopra revealed that she felt some tightness on her thigh after the medal-winning fourth throw.
“I thought even the fourth throw could have gone farther. After that, I felt something on my thigh and could not do my best in the next two. I had strapping (on the thigh). I will know the status tomorrow morning because my body is still warm after the event. I hope there should not be any issue for the upcoming events, Commonwealth Games,” he had said post his historic win at the global event.
Notably, the Indian javelin star became only the second Indian after Anju Bobby George in 2003 to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships. Neeraj won the silver medal after failing with a throw of 88.13m in his first attempt and managed only 82.39m in his second attempt. The Olympic champion made a slow start to finish on the podium.
Neeraj finished second behind Grenada’s Anderson Peters, who won gold with a best attempt of 90.54m. Peters, 24, had 3 throws in excess of 90m in the men’s javelin final in Eugene as he became only the 2nd man to defend the javelin title at the World Athletics Championships.
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