India’s chief athletics coach Radhakrishnan Nair has delivered an encouraging fitness update on Neeraj Chopra, confirming that the two-time Olympic medallist is fully fit and ready to spearhead the country’s athletics campaign at the ongoing Commonwealth Games.
Chopra, who won the men’s javelin throw gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast with a best effort of 86.47 metres, returns to the competition after missing the 2022 Birmingham edition because of injury.
The 27-year-old endured another injury setback ahead of the World Championships in September after suffering a lower back problem. As a result, he has competed in only one event this season, finishing fourth at the Doha Diamond League last month with a throw of 85.69m.
However, Nair believes Chopra has recovered completely and is in excellent physical condition ahead of the biggest multi-sport event of the year.
“Chopra is in perfect shape physically. I haven’t seen him so good in a long time. He is very confident and we can expect a very good performance from him,” Nair said while speaking to PTI.
The coach also expressed confidence that the reigning Olympic champion is capable of challenging for the top spot, although he stopped short of predicting the colour of the medal.
“I need not tell you the colour of the medal, but he is very confident of doing his best,” Nair added.
Chopra arrived in Glasgow on Friday and will be among the biggest attractions in the men’s javelin competition. The event is expected to feature a high-quality field, with Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, Grenada’s two-time world champion Anderson Peters and Pakistan’s defending Commonwealth Games champion and Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem all set to challenge for the title.
India will also be represented by Rohit Yadav, who has enjoyed an impressive season and registered a personal best throw of 87.05m in June. If he can replicate that performance, the Indian thrower could also find himself in medal contention.
The men’s javelin throw qualification round is scheduled for July 30, while the medal event will take place a day later.
Beyond Chopra’s prospects, Nair is optimistic about India’s overall athletics campaign. The country won eight medals at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, including one gold, four silver and three bronze medals, and the chief coach expects the contingent to surpass that tally this time.
“We will do better than in Birmingham and win more medals this time. Moreover, we are hoping to win two or three gold medals, though I cannot tell from which events we will do it,” Nair said.
With Chopra back to full fitness and several athletes in strong form, India will be aiming for one of its most successful athletics campaigns in Commonwealth Games history.
Debayan Bhattacharyya is a seasoned sports journalist and digital media professional, currently serving as the Chief Sub Editor at ITV Digital (NewsX). A true Football-Fanatic Bong, his professional journey began at Zee Media, where he kicked off his career as a Sub-Editor for the sports team at India.com and CricketCountry. His ability to blend insightful analysis with rapid-fire news delivery soon led him to Times Network, where he served as a Senior Copy Editor for Times Now. Before his current role at NewsX, Debayan spent a significant tenure at OneIndia’s MyKhel as a Senior Sub Editor.
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