In a major blow to Indian medal hopes, Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra has been ruled out of the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2022, which begins on Thursday (July 28) due to injury. The javelin star had indicated that he was not fully fit while attending the final of the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on Sunday (24 July).
“Neeraj Chopra will not participate in the Commonwealth Games 2022. He is not fit as he was injured in the final of the World Athletic Championship. They informed us about this,” IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta confirmed to news agency ANI on Tuesday (July 26).
Neeraj, who became the first person to win a medal in World Athletics, was the defending champion at the Commonwealth Games, having won a gold medal at the Gold Coast Games in 2018. In his absence, Grenada’s Anderson Peters, who won the world gold medal. The athletics championship to be held on Sunday will be the favorite to become the new champion.
The Indian javelin star was in great form this season. At the Worlds, Neeraj finished with a silver with a throw of 88.13m. Earlier this month, Neeraj broke his own national record in the Stockholm Diamond League event with a throw of 89.94m.
The star athlete has improved his personal best twice – He recorded a throw of 89.30m at the Pavo Nurmi Games in Finland on June 14 and sent his javelin to 89.94m, just 6cm shy of 90m at the prestigious Stockholm Diamond League meeting on June 30.
our olympic champion @neeraj_chopra1 Won’t defend my title @birminghamcg22 Due to concerns about his fitness. We wish him a speedy recovery and are supporting him during this challenging time.#oneindiateamindia #WeareTeamIndia pic.twitter.com/pPg7SYlrSm
— Team India (@WeAreTeamIndia) 26 July 2022
Chopra, whose personal best is 89.94m, competed at the 2017 London World Championships with hopes of at least making the final, but managed only 82.26m to fall short of the automatic qualifying mark of 83m.
He also missed the 2019 World Championships in Doha due to recovery from elbow surgery.