Neeraj Chopra, the star Indian javelin thrower, has provided an update on his recovery after his season was cut short prematurely due to an ankle ligament tear he sustained during a training session.
He missed the World Athletics Championships, Commonwealth Games and .
Chopra, the two-time Olympic medallist and a former world champion, said his injury had healed significantly and that he would resume training and rehabilitation in the next couple of weeks.
“My injury is much better now. I faced some issues initially in the first month and a half, but it has improved significantly. I consulted Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala and he has advised that I can now resume training and begin proper rehabilitation. My plan is to start both in the next couple of weeks,” Chopra told the media team of the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
Chopra had been advised complete rest by his medical team. “For my injury, the doctors had advised rest, and that is exactly what I followed. With regard to competitions, TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) and SAI (Sports Authority of India) have been supporting me for years. I have been part of the TOPS Core Group for many years now, and whenever I need any support, they are there,” he said.
Chopra has had a stellar rise. He won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and followed it up with a silver medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He also won a World Championships gold in Budapest in 2023.
Meanwhile, Chopra hailed the Union Cabinet’s approval of the Khelo India Sports Goods Manufacturing Scheme earlier this week. “The Khelo India Sports Goods Manufacturing Scheme is an amazing step. Athletes face a lot of issues in procuring certain equipment in India or have to import sporting equipment from abroad. With schemes like these, as equipment will be manufactured in India, it will become much easier for them to source it,” he noted.