Olympic Champion Neeraj Chopra Likely To Miss Paris Tournament: Reports

India's Olympic gold medalist from the Tokyo Games, Neeraj Chopra, has opted out of the Paris stage of the Diamond League according to reports. The event was set to take place on July 7 in the French capital.

Chopra previously pulled out of the Ostrava Golden Spike after experiencing an issue with his adductor. Following a month-long break, he returned to win gold at the Paavo Nurmi Games on June 18.

Neeraj Chopra is widely regarded as not just one of India's top contenders, but possibly the best athlete likely to compete for a gold medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. The 26-year-old previously won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Currently, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is training in Saarbrucken, Germany, with his coach Klaus Bartonietz and physio Ishaan Marwaha, in preparation for the Paris Olympics 2024. After his two-week camp in Germany, he will head to Turkey to continue his training at the Gloria Sports Arena.

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After making history in the previous Olympics, Neeraj Chopra has been cautious recently, focusing on achieving his best performance at the Paris Olympics. During a media interaction following the Paavo Nurmi Games, he emphasized this approach. "I will try to stay healthy in the next weeks because then I will throw my best throws", he said.

In 2024, Neeraj Chopra has had a remarkable year so far. He began by securing a second-place finish at the Doha leg of the Diamond League and then clinched the gold medal at the Federation Cup (National Senior Athletics Championships) in Bhubaneswar with a throw of 82.27m. This achievement is notable, although it falls short of his personal best of 89.94m set in 2022 at the Stockholm Diamond League.

Looking ahead, Chopra aims not only to defend his Olympic gold medal but also to surpass his own record and join the elite 90m club. Alongside Neeraj Chopra, Kishore Kumar Jena will also represent India in the javelin event at the Paris Olympics, which commence on July 26.

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