Neeraj Chopra's heartfelt message: 'not being able to represent India at this edition is difficult'

Chopra missed Diamond League final in Brussels as well.

Neeraj Chopra was earlier forced to withdraw from the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya due to ankle ligament injury. The 28-year-old confirmed the setback on Saturday, just over a week

Chopra had looked like he was finally finding his rhythm after a season plagued by fitness troubles. He opened his campaign at the Doha Diamond League in June, finishing fourth with 85.69m, then picked things up with a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games courtesy of an 85.83m throw. 

Chopra’s national record still stands at 90.23m, a mark that shows just how far off his peak these recent throws have been, even while producing results good enough for podiums. 

Along with the Asian Games, he also skipped the Diamond League Final in Brussels on September 5 and the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, which was scheduled for September 13.

A Two-Time Olympic medalist reflects On what the games mean to him

Chopra took to LinkedIn to share the news himself, and the post reads less like an athlete’s statement and more like a personal letter.

He recalled being India’s flag-bearer at the 2018 Jakarta Games at just twenty years old, where he won gold in what was India’s first javelin medal at the competition since 1982. He went on to defend that title at Hangzhou in 2023, making him a two-time Asian Games champion in the event.

In his own words, he wrote, “The Asian Games has given me some of the most special moments of my career, and not being able to represent India at this edition is difficult.”

On the injury itself, he said, “I have been dealing with an ankle ligament injury, and after a lot of consideration, I had to accept that I will not be able to compete. Being able to carry the hope of a country into competition is a privilege. To miss out on that opportunity does hurt.”

This is far from Chopra’s first brush with injury. He underwent elbow surgery in 2019, missed the 2022 Commonwealth Games with a groin problem, dealt with a muscle strain in 2023.

Despite the frustration, Chopra’s message leaned heavily on gratitude for the people around him rather than the setback itself. He wrote, “Sometimes, you just need a friend to call and talk about something completely unrelated. I have friends who know I’m not in the best place right now, but when they call, they don’t ask me about my ankh. They just talk, we laugh, we remember old times, make promises to catch up; this reminds me that there is more to life than the next competition. It helps more than they probably realise.”

He closed with a message to the Indian contingent heading to Nagoya: “I will miss competing at the Asian Games this time. To the Indian contingent in Nagoya, I will miss walking alongside you. But I will be backing you. I have precious memories of the Games. I hope you make some too.”

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram