Renowned two-time Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra, who came close to securing a second gold medal at the Games, has officially announced his comeback to the competitive arena. He is set to participate in the prestigious Lausanne Diamond League, commencing on August 22.
Presently, Chopra is honing his skills in Magglingen, Switzerland, under the expert supervision of his coach Klaus Bartonietz and physiotherapist Ishaan Marwaha.
Neeraj Chopra, the sole Indian javelin thrower to secure an Olympic gold medal, commenced his journey at the 2024 Paris Olympics with an impressive season-best throw of 89.34m. Despite his valiant efforts, he was unable to surpass Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who made history for Pakistan by achieving a record-breaking throw of 92.97m on his second attempt.
Nadeem's remarkable performance not only secured him the gold medal but also shattered the Games record, solidifying Pakistan's presence on the Olympic stage. The night belonged to Nadeem as no other competitor managed to surpass the 90m mark.
"Nadeem is a very hardworking player and (I have) competed against him always full of positivity. That day too I was quite sure that we would have a good fight," said Chopra during interaction with media.
"After he made an Olympic record on his second attempt, it created pressure on everyone; but since I had competed with him previously, I was quite sure that I will break his record after my second attempt, which was close to 90m (89.54m), but somehow my body didn't allow."
"It is never easy to perform in the Olympics, especially when you are defending your medal...From there (second throw), I knew that I can breach the Olympic record but somehow I was not able to do as my body didn't allow. I am happy that I won a silver medal for the country; but I will work on the things that are needed to recover well," added Chopra.
When inquired about his upcoming event, Chopra revealed, "I have made the decision to compete in the Lausanne Diamond League, commencing on August 22nd."
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