Neeraj Chopra clarifies about his Paris Diamond League absence, says 'event wasn't part my calendar this season'

Neeraj Chopra returned from a pre-caution break to win gold at the Paavo Nurmi Games last month.

Paris Diamond League will take place on July 7, with top stars set to compete in one of the final competitions before the Paris Olympics showdown. But one of the biggest stars who will be absent in the list is Neeraj Chopra. His absence was a mystery to the fans until Chopra himself provided clarity on the matter.

The 26-year-old took to X (formerly Twitter) while explaining his stance on missing the event. He said,” Hello, everyone. Just to clarify: the #ParisDL wasn’t part of my competition calendar this season, so I haven’t ‘withdrawn’ from it. I’m focusing on getting ready for the Olympic Games.” The fans were initially worried as there were reports of Chopra withdrawing from the Paris Diamond League due to health concerns. 

The reigning Olympic and world champion has participated in three events this season. Chopra secured two gold medals and a silver medal in those competitions. He won the gold medal last month in Finland at the Paavo Nurmi Games with a throw of 85.97m. Chopra’s throw of 88.36m at the Doha Diamond League in May puts him in fourth position amongst the best throws this season.

Only Max Dehning, Jakub Vadlejch and Julian Weber have managed to perform better than Chopra this year so far. Teenager, Dehning is the only one in 2024 to touch the 90m mark. His throw of 90.20m at Halle in February is the world leading this year.

Dehning will be eager to pose a challenge to Chopra at Paris. Meanwhile, Chopra has been known to perform well under pressure and he proved it three years back at Tokyo.

Chopra has made it clear that his intentions are to perform at the highest standards at the Paris Olympics 2024. He is expected to bag a second consecutive gold medal at the Olympics this time. He also mentioned in his tweet about wishing his fellow athletes who were gearing up for the Olympics.

With only three weeks to go, the pressure has been building up on all the athletes. Chopra will be hoping to hit the 90m barrier this time and his powerful roar awaits at Stade de France.

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