- January 6, 2025
Neeraj Chopra Opens Up About Six-Year-Long Ongoing Battle With Injury; Skeptical About Surgery – News18
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Rumours were rife about Chopra’s battle with injury well before the Paris Olympics itself, with talks of the javelin star dealing with a groin injury that was hampering the Indian from truly discovering his peak.
Neeraj Chopra. (Image: AFP)
The life of an athlete is no easy one, and one riddled with nagging injuries often complicates it all the more. Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra opened up on his ongoing battle with an injury over the past 6+ years, an aspect of his life that has affected his game.
Chopra secured Silver in the Paris Olympics last year, falling short of Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who beat the Indian for the first time to take home the Gold.
Going into the contest as the defending champion, much expectation was placed on the shoulders of Chopra to defend his title. But, the Indian stated that he does not concern himself with the “burden” of expectation, but rather focuses on being his best self on the day.
“Normally, I don’t think too much about such things. I always try to go into any event as a new athlete. I don’t concern myself with how my past performances were in other competitions, whether I am defending a title, or any of that. I just focus on what I am able to do now, and how I can work towards success in the present,” Chopra stated in his interview with The Lallantop.
Rumours were rife about Chopra’s battle with injury well before the Paris Olympics itself, with talks of the javelin star dealing with a groin injury that was inhibiting the Indian from truly discovering his peak.
Chopra opened up on the same, admitting that the injury has laid out restrictions upon himself, but the Indian took it in stride as a part of life for any athlete.
“For success, there is a need for our body and mind to be one and healthy altogether. It’s an important combination to get right in order to ensure the best results,” emphasised the javelin star.
“I had a small problem going in to the Paris Olympics. I had been dealing with a groin injury for a fair bit of time. So, that made me unable to compete at my fullest, nor to even practice at full strength.”
“So, since 2018 itself, I have always felt that I can produce even bigger throw than I do and have currently. But, I alos understood the pain and the limitations I had to draw given the niggle, and I had to work accordingly. That’s how life works with injuries.”
When asked about whether how Chopra could finally resolve the niggle once and for all, the former Olympic champion expressed his concern over undergoing injury, out of fear that it may affect his performance afterwards.
“The solution is to have surgery in order to fix this issue. I am yet to make a decision about the same, because for an athlete having your groin muscles operated induces a certain higher risk. It also can inhibit your recovery in certain ways. So, for now, I am focusing on dealing with it by incorporating conditioning and strengthening exercises,” Chopra stated.
