Olympic gold-medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will miss the Ostrava Golden Spike 2024 athletics meet in the Czech Republic on May 28 due to a muscle injury he sustained in training two weeks ago, the organisers said.
Chopra has competed in two competitions this season — the Doha Diamond League and the Federation Cup. The 26-year-old will, however, attend the prestigious meet as a guest.
Exactly two months before the Paris Olympics, India’s biggest medal hope Neeraj Chopra has pulled out of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event at Ostrava in the Czech Republic because of adductor muscle stiffness. The health scare comes towards the end of a hectic month where the Tokyo Olympics javelin gold medalist had participated in two competitions — Doha Diamond League and Bhubaneswar Federation Cup — that were just four days apart.
Chopra took to X and wrote, “Hello everyone! Following a recent throwing session, I decided not to compete in Ostrava as I felt something in my adductor. I have had problems with it in the past and pushing it at this stage can lead to injury.”
He added, Just to clarify, I am not injured but I don’t want to take any risk during the Olympic year so had to take the decision. Once I feel its fully recovered, I will get back to competitions. Thank you for your support (sic).”
The Ostrava Golden Spike 2024 athletics meet will take place in the Czech Republic on 28 May.
This season. Chopra has competed in two competitions – the Doha Diamond League and the Federation Cup.
Manisha Malhotra, the head of Sports Excellence and Scouting at JSW Sports, the firm that manages Chopra, mentioned “back-to-back competitions” as a reason for the pull out. “Neeraj has pulled out because of adductor tightness and the fatigue of competing in back-to-back events in Doha and Bhubaneshwar. The day after the Federation Cup in Bhubaneshwar he travelled back to Poland, where he has been training. Neeraj skipping the meet is a precautionary step. He is scheduled to participate in the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku next month,” Malhotra told the Indian Express.
“Due to an injury that he sustained in training two weeks ago (adductor muscle) he will not be able to throw in Ostrava, but he will arrive at the event as a guest,” said the organisers of the competition in a statement.
“The best possible replacement was managed by the organisers. European champion Julian Weber from Germany, who threw 88.37 on Friday, the third best performance of the year, will come to Ostrava. It will be a big test for Jakub Vadlejch before the EC in Rome,” added the statement.
He began his year on a winning note, as he clinched silver medal following an impressive throw of 88.36 metres at the Doha Diamond League on 10 May.
