What lies ahead for India's javelin star Neeraj Chopra?
What's the story
Two-time Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra is on the road to recovery from an ankle injury that cut his season short. The injury, which he suffered during training in August, forced him to miss out on major events this year. Now, Chopra is hopeful of making a strong comeback next year. He recently expressed his optimism about the recovery process and future plans for next year.
Acknowledgment
Chopra missed Asian Games
Due to the aforementioned injury, Chopra missed the 2026 Asian Games. He was among India's biggest medal hopefuls.
However, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 2026 Audi Q3 launch in Mumbai, the javelin star appreciated the performances of his fellow athletes at the Asian Games.
He congratulated Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav for winning silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Form
Season-best throw of 88.05m
For now, Chopra is focusing on recovering completely from the ankle ligament tear and returning in 2027.
The 28-year-old earlier qualified for the 2026 Diamond League Final after recording a season-best throw of 88.05m for second place in Lausanne.
Before that, Chopra won silver at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games with 85.83m, finishing behind Rumesh Pathirage (89.75m).
His long-term sights are set on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Achievements
Notable achievements of Chopra
In Glasgow, Chopra claimed his second CWG medal, having won gold in the 2018 Gold Coast edition.
The star javelin thrower is a two-time medalist at the Asian Games (gold in 2018 and 2022).
However, his biggest achievement was at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, winning the elusive gold medal.
Chopra became only the second individual Olympic gold medalist in independent India's history.
He also bagged silver at the 2024 Paris Games.