Neeraj Chopra Focussing On Injury Rehabilitation, May Get Domestic Events Exempt For Asian Games Selection

Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is currently focused on rehabilitating a back injury sustained just before the World Championships last September and has not yet determined when or where to start his season, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) said on Saturday.

Chopra competed in the World Championships in Tokyo in September 2025 while injured and finished eighth with a best throw of 84.03m, significantly below his season and personal best of 90.23m achieved in May.

“He (Chopra) is taking a break. He is recovering from his injuries. He had two injuries. The focus is on rehabilitation, I think that is the most important thing, not the opener,” AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla said when asked about Chopra’s likely opening event of the season.

“Hats off to him that he took part in the world championships. I have seen his injury, the swelling, and he still took part. We told him, don’t do it. He said ‘no sir, I will try’. He never said a word like ‘I couldn’t throw because of my injury’,” Sumariwalla said during a press conference.

Praising Chopra’s attitude, former AFI president Sumariwalla added, “There is only one Neeraj Chopra. I have seen people who have not done a thousandth of the performance of Neeraj Chopra talk so much that they want this, they want that. But this poor guy (Neeraj) doesn’t say anything. Hats off to him.”

Last year, Chopra started his season in April at a low-key event in South Africa before competing in the Diamond League in May in Doha, where he surpassed the 90m mark. In 2024, he commenced with the Doha Diamond League in May.

Recently, Chopra shared pictures of his wedding reception on social media, having married former tennis player Himani Mor in a private ceremony earlier in 2025.

Regarding why only Chopra and Sachin Yadav are on AIU’s RTP list:

In the latest Registered Testing Pool for dope testing released by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) of World Athletics, Chopra and fellow javelin thrower Sachin Yadav are the only Indians listed.

Asked if more Indians might be included in the future, Sumariwalla replied, “AIU is an independent body. They don’t report to World Athletics, nor to anyone. So, we don’t know what their annual plan is.

“Normally, when it comes to Olympics, World Championships, testing will increase. Those they know who are going to qualify for the Ultimate Championships (In Budapest later this year), the AIU will definitely be tracking those people.

“AIU has seen Neeraj and Sachin as the only two people who could be in the Ultimate Championships from India at the moment. So, they are tracking them. Just as they can see more people coming into the Ultimate Championships, they will track them,” said Sumariwalla who is also a World Athletics vice president and executive board member.

Yadav outperformed Chopra at the 2025 Tokyo World Championships, finishing fourth with a best throw of 86.27m.

On Saturday, the AFI released the qualifying standards for the Asian Games in Japan later this year. Athletes must participate in state meets or two AFI-organised events to be considered for selection, unless granted permission to skip.

The National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar from July 8-12 will be the last major event before the Asian Games (September 19 to October 4).

Chopra to be exempted from competing in domestic events for Asian Games selection:

Sumariwalla indicated that Chopra might be exempt from this rule, as in previous seasons, since he will be competing in major global events like the Diamond League series.

“An athlete will have to fulfil mandatory number of events unless he has taken permission. Last year Neeraj took permission that he was doing Diamond League events on the same day or one day up or down (date of domestic events). ‘So, you please consider my performance in these events’.

“We said fine. We are not foolish to restrict our athletes,” said Sumariwalla who has recently been made AFI senior selection committee chairman.

“There is only one Neeraj but for others, it is the same rule. An athlete has to seek permission if he or she is not taking part in domestic events. And then the final call lies with the selection committee whether to approve or not.”

(With inputs from Agencies)