Lausanne Diamond League: Neeraj Chopra confirms participation, says injury no longer a concern

Neeraj Chopra (Pic: AFP)

India's double Olympic medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Saturday confirmed his participation at the upcoming Lausanne Diamond League on August 22.

Nursing a long-standing groin injury, Chopra claimed a silver medal in the recently concluded Paris Olympics, having won a historic gold in the Tokyo edition of the Games three years ago.

"... I have finally decided to participate in the Lausanne Diamond League, which begins August 22," Chopra said during a virtual interaction ahead of the Lausanne Diamond League.

After a busy couple of days post the Olympic final on August 8, Chopra started training in Switzerland and is determined to finish the season on a high despite being restricted by the injury.

Following the season-ending Diamond League in Brussels from September 13-14, Chopra will consult the doctors on his groin injury with surgery being the most likely option.

"The final treatment will be after the season ends. There is just one month left. I will try to take care of it as much as possible and consult the doctors later. I was thinking of just the Zurich Diamond League and the final. But thankfully, the injury is fine."

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"It usually gets worse after competition but this time Ishan (physio Marwaha) bhai treated me in Paris. I would like to thank him. He has been with me since 2017 and has helped me through injuries and surgeries," Chopra said.

The 26-year-old has been managing the injury since winning the gold in the World Championships last year.

Chopra needs to finish in the top-six of the Diamond League Meetings series to qualify for the season finale in Brussels.

"I came to Switzerland for training ahead of the Diamond League. Luckily, I did not aggravate my injury as I took extra care of that. I thought of continuing my season like most other athletes. There is one month to go until the season ends. I will go to the doctors in my free time," he said.

A back-to-back medal at the Summer Games was a monumental feat for an Indian athlete but his throw was way short of Arshad Nadeem's sensational 92.97m that comfortably secured a historic gold for the Pakistani.

(With agency inputs)