Neeraj Chopra, other top javelin throwers to compete in international event in India: Reports

The event is likely to be hosted in September.

The top javelin throwers in the world are set to compete in an event in India, likely to be held in September, as announced by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on Tuesday. Leading the pack will be double Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra, who being a household name, is likely to draw huge crowds to the stadium.

This is in line with the nation’s recent bids to host big-ticket events, including the Summer Olympics 2036 and Youth Olympics 2030. India also wishes to organize several track-and-field events in the next few years.

Former AFI president, Adille Sumariwalla, who was recently succeeded by 2002 Asian Games gold medallist Bahadur Singh Sagoo, has answered in the affirmative regarding India’s interest in hosting the 2029 World Championships and 2027 World Relays. Additionally, India has also expressed interest in hosting the 2028 World Junior Championships, when World Athletics President Sebastien Coe visited the country in November.

“There will be a top javelin competition in India in which the top 10 javelin throwers in the world will compete. This will be an invitation tournament to be held later this year,” Sumariwalla stated at the AFI Annual General Meeting (AGM), concluding his 12-year leadership.

“Neeraj Chopra will be there. He is part of the team that is organizing the event, along with JSW, a foreign firm, and the AFI. This is being done as there is so much interest in the javelin, with August 7- when Chopra won the Tokyo Olympics gold- being observed as National Javelin Day.”

Significant prize money is also expected. The tournament heralds a big moment in Indian sport, considering the nation has become the undisputed javelin hub of the world with several 80m+ throwers having emerged in the last few years.

India is also set to host a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze-level competition on August 10 in Bhubaneswar, marking the country’s first international athletics meet since the permit meets of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Neeraj Chopra Latest

After creating history by clinching the silver medal at the Paris Olympics 2024, Neeraj Chopra participated in two more tournaments- the Lausanne Diamond League and the Diamond League Final in Brussels. He achieved a second-place finish in both events, the latter one being more heartbreaking considering that his throw of 87.86m was just 1 cm behind Grenadian Anderson Peters.

Nevertheless, the effort is commendable considering that the 27-year-old from Khandra, Haryana has been dealing with injury concerns in his groin for a long time and had to fight pain in almost all competitions last year.

In a recent interview with Lallantop, Neeraj said that he will probably need surgery to resolve this. However, he isn’t keen to use that option as that might put his career at risk and he might not be able to make a comeback.

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