Double Olympic gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Sunday revealed that he took part in the Diamond League season finale despite a hand injury sustained during a training session. On Saturday, Chopra came agonisingly close to winning the Diamond League crown before missing it by a single centimeter to finish as runner-up for the second consecutive year with a throw of 87.86m.
“On Monday, I injured myself in practice and x-rays showed that I had fractured the fourth metacarpal in my left hand. It was another painful challenge for me. But with the help of my team, I was able to participate in Brussels,” the 26-year-old said on his social media handle.
“This was the last competition of the year, and I wanted to end my season on the track. While I couldn’t meet my own expectations, I feel this was a season in which I learned a lot. I am now determined to return, fully fit and ready to go.”
As the 2024 season ends, I look back on everything I’ve learned through the year – about improvement, setbacks, mentality and more.
On Monday, I injured myself in practice and x-rays showed that I had fractured the fourth metacarpal in my left hand. It was another painful… pic.twitter.com/H8nRkUkaNM
Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) September 15, 2024
Chopra had been struggling with his fitness this season and is expected to meet a doctor to rectify a groin injury that has affected him all season and came in the way of his quest to hit the elusive 90m mark.
This hand injury is a new one and he did not elaborate much on it. Chopra, who added a silver to his Olympic medal tally in Paris following a historic gold at the Tokyo Games, thus ended his season on a high.
Reflecting on his season, he said, “As the 2024 season ends, I look back on everything I’ve learned through the year – about improvement, setbacks, mentality and more. I want to thank all of you for your encouragement. 2024 has made me a better athlete and person. See you in 2025.”
In 2022, Chopra won the title and has finished second in 2024 with a silver from Paris Olympics 2024 also under his belt. Despite setbacks, Neeraj has looked positive on making comebacks and winning for his country everytime he takes part in a competition. In 2023, Neeraj finished second and lost his Diamond Trophy to Jakub Vadlejch.
