Neeraj Chopra reveals he battled injury to compete at Paris Olympics 2024

Neeraj Chopra won silver with throw of 89.45m.

Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra earned a silver medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Thursday, but the defending champion admitted mixed feelings about his performance. Despite logging his career second-best throw at 89.45 meters, Chopra fell short of gold, which went to Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem with an Olympic record throw of 92.97 meters.

Speaking to reporters after the event, Chopra said, “It was a good throw, but I’m not that happy with my performance today.” The 26-year-old athlete explained that his technique and approach on the runway were not up to his usual standards. Out of six attempts in the final, Chopra managed only one valid throw, with the rest resulting in fouls.

Chopra’s medal-winning throw came on his second attempt. He shared his mindset during the competition, saying, “For my second throw, I believed in myself to think I can also throw that far. But in javelin, if your run is not so good, you can’t throw very far.”

The Indian champion also opened up about the challenges he faced leading up to the Olympics. “The last two or three years were not so good for me. I’m always injured,” Chopra revealed. He emphasized the need to work on staying injury-free and improving his technique in the future.

Chopra’s preparation for Paris 2024 was hampered by issues with his adductor muscles, forcing him to miss several important competitions. He admitted to limiting his training throws due to a groin injury, stating, “In training, I’m not doing a lot of throws because of my groin. But I will work hard in future.”

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Despite his personal disappointment, Chopra showed sportsmanship by congratulating his rival and friend, Arshad Nadeem. “Today’s competition was really great. Arshad Nadeem threw really well. Congratulations to him and his country,” he said. Nadeem’s gold medal marks Pakistan’s first individual Olympic gold and their first medal since the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Looking ahead, Chopra expressed determination to improve. “It’s time to enhance our performance,” he told ANI in a follow-up interview. “We will sit and discuss and work on improvements.”

The silver medalist also reflected on the broader picture of India’s performance at the Paris Olympics. “India played well,” Chopra noted, adding optimistically, “Our national anthem may not have been played today, but it will be heard in the future.”

Chopra’s silver medal makes him the second male athlete from independent India to win two Olympic medals in an individual event. While he may not have repeated his gold medal performance from Tokyo 2020, Chopra’s resilience and commitment to improvement continue to inspire fans across India and beyond.

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