New Delhi, India, August 30, 2026: Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra of India has been ruled out of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games after the star javelin thrower sustained an injury in training.
A gold medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and silver medallist at Paris 2024, Neeraj suffered an ankle injury. He was among the top medal contenders at the 20th Asian Games in Japan from September 19 to October 4.
“It’s disappointing, especially because I felt close to finding my rhythm. But, as they say, setbacks are part of the journey,” said Neeraj, who is also the two-time defending champion at the Asian Games.
Taking to Instagram, Neeraj wrote that he sustained the injury while training. “After a period of hard work, I finally felt I was gaining the momentum I had been looking for with a season’s best throw in Lausanne,” he posted on Saturday, August 29.
Returning after a long injury lay-off in 2026, Neeraj competed in three events – Diamond League Doha and Lausanne (Diamond League) and the Commonwealth Games in Scotland. The 27-year-old Indian finished second in Lausanne with a season-best throw of 88.05m.
He missed out on the top spot by just nine centimetres to Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who had been in domineering form winning the gold medals in Glasgow, Doha and Lausanne. Last week, Pathirage also added the Zurich Diamond League title.
Neeraj added: “My focus now is on recovering well and coming back stronger.”