Felt my season was over: Neeraj Chopra

India’s Neeraj Chopra during the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne on Friday. Pic/AFP

India's ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has said when he was forced to skip the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham due to a groin injury, he felt it was the end of his competitive season, but after the rehab in Germany he had the confidence to come back and compete in the Diamond League in Lausanne.

Another historic feat

The Olympic Games gold medallist also said it was a matter of time before he breaches the 90-metre mark in competition. Chopra on Friday finished first at the Lausanne Diamond League, becoming the first Indian to clinch the top spot in a Diamond League meet, after registering an 89.08m throw in his first attempt. In the Stockholm Diamond League earlier this year, Chopra had thrown a personal best of 89.94m and had finished second.

Ticket to the final

With his Friday's performance, he has now qualified for the Diamond League final on September 7-8 in Zurich, Switzerland, as well as the 2023 World Championships, which has a qualification mark of 85.20m.

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The 24-year-old javelin thrower had picked up the groin injury on way to winning silver at the World Championships in
Eugene, USA.

"I had to skip Commonwealth Games due to groin injury, and I felt that I will have to end the season. But there wasn't much pain, so I had the belief that I will recover before the tournament [Diamond League in Lausanne].

Limited time to prepare

"I made some good throws in the training and was feeling well; hence we made the decision to compete here. I did my rehab in Germany with my coach and physio Ishaan Marwaha. It went really well. I had very limited time to prepare but proper planning in rehab helped me recover quickly," the star javelin thrower said.

"This win is very important for our country," he added.

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