India’s Neeraj Chopra during the Men’s Javelin Throw event in Lausanne on August 21, 2026
| Photo Credit: Reuters
India’s medal hopes at the upcoming Asian Games suffered a big blow on Saturday (August 29, 2026) with Neeraj Chopra ruling himself out with injury.
Chopra, who managed a season’s best of 88.05m at the recent Lausanne Diamond League, announced a premature end to his season through his social media account. “After a period of hard work, I finally felt I was gaining the momentum I had been looking for with a Season’s Best throw in Lausanne.
“Unfortunately, shortly after, I sustained a ligament tear in my ankle during training. After discussions with my doctor and team, we’ve decided that I will sit out the rest of this season,” he wrote.
“It’s disappointing, especially because I felt close to finding my rhythm. But as they say, setbacks are a part of the journey. My focus now is on recovering well and coming back even stronger,” he added.
Chopra opened his season quite late this year after a long recovery period with the Doha Diamond League in June, finishing 4th with an 85.69m throw. He followed it up with silver at the Commonwealth Games and the Lausanne event.
The decision means he will miss three big competitions through the rest of the year — the Diamond League Final (September 5), World Athletics Ultimate (September 13) and the Asian Games.
The Athletics Federation of India is expected to announce a replacement soon. “Neeraj Chopra has informed AFI that he has sustained an injury and will be unable to participate in the forthcoming Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026. The injury will keep him out of competition for the remainder of the season.
“Every time Neeraj steps onto the runway, he carries the hopes of a billion Indians. Today he showed the same strength in stepping back — choosing recovery over risk and asking AFI to give his place to another athlete so that India’s javelin remains represented on the continent’s biggest stage. That is the mark of a champion. Not just the medals, but the maturity,” the AFI said in a statement.
With Rohit Yadav already named as the second thrower in the provisional Indian squad, potential alternatives include Yashvir, who won bronze at the CWG in Glasgow. However, his name is not on the current long list sent to the organisers. The final official squad is yet to be named.
Published – August 29, 2026 03:01 pm IST
