Neeraj Chopra returns after nine months: ‘It was not a good decision to compete’

Back from a back injury that kept him out since the Tokyo World Championships, Neeraj opens his season at Doha — where he threw 90m last year and still wasn't satisfied

Neeraj Chopra returns to competition at the Doha Diamond League on Friday carrying an admission he has sat with all winter: he should not have competed at the Tokyo World Championships last year.

“I don’t think it was a good decision to compete in Tokyo knowing that I was already carrying an injury,” Neeraj said at the pre-event press conference. “In athletes’ lives, if you try to save one injury, there is another one that can come up. But it was the last competition of the year, so I pushed for it.”

The back injury, sustained during training before the World Championships, kept him out for nine months. It is his longest absence from competition since he announced himself to the world with Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021.

Doha, at least, is familiar territory. It is where Neeraj crossed the 90m mark for the first time last year — a barrier that had defined and eluded him for years. “I have that memory of the 90m throw. That is why it is one of my favourite venues. Although Julian Weber immediately threw bigger than me that night,” he said.

ALSO READ | From 134 kph to 92.67m: Rumesh Pathirage becomes Asia’s 2nd best Javelin Thrower

He is characteristically unsatisfied with how it was done. “I don’t think the 90m throw was technically good. It came out fast from my arm but if I could do better with my lower body, I’ll improve 2-3m more,” he said.

The field he returns to is formidable. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage, the current world leader, heads the lineup alongside former world champions Anderson Peters and Keshorn Walcott, Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch and Kenyan veteran Julius Yego. Neeraj was measured about Pathirage. “I’m happy for Rumesh. He is a good thrower and it is good to see someone from Sri Lanka throwing that well.”

The comeback also marks his first competition under a new coaching setup. After the Tokyo World Championships, Neeraj parted ways with Jan Zelenky, the Czech javelin legend and three-time world champion who had been working with him. He now trains with Jay Chaudhary, a coach who has known him since the early days of his career. “Jay has seen my whole journey. He understands my technique better,” Neeraj said. “I wanted to focus on my technique and implement my ideas. I have got a good team with me.”

The AFI has provisionally included him in the Commonwealth Games 2026 squad, with a qualification mark of 82.61m to breach. At Doha, with nine months off his back and a point to prove, that should be the least of his concerns.

Neeraj Chopra returns to competition at the Doha Diamond League on Friday carrying an admission he has sat with all winter: he should not have competed at the Tokyo World Championships last year.

“I don’t think it was a good decision to compete in Tokyo knowing that I was already carrying an injury,” Neeraj said at the pre-event press conference. “In athletes’ lives, if you try to save one injury, there is another one that can come up. But it was the last competition of the year, so I pushed for it.”

The back injury, sustained during training before the World Championships, kept him out for nine months. It is his longest absence from competition since he announced himself to the world with Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021.

Doha, at least, is familiar territory. It is where Neeraj crossed the 90m mark for the first time last year — a barrier that had defined and eluded him for years. “I have that memory of the 90m throw. That is why it is one of my favourite venues. Although Julian Weber immediately threw bigger than me that night,” he said.

ALSO READ | From 134 kph to 92.67m: Rumesh Pathirage becomes Asia’s 2nd best Javelin Thrower

He is characteristically unsatisfied with how it was done. “I don’t think the 90m throw was technically good. It came out fast from my arm but if I could do better with my lower body, I’ll improve 2-3m more,” he said.

The field he returns to is formidable. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage, the current world leader, heads the lineup alongside former world champions Anderson Peters and Keshorn Walcott, Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch and Kenyan veteran Julius Yego. Neeraj was measured about Pathirage. “I’m happy for Rumesh. He is a good thrower and it is good to see someone from Sri Lanka throwing that well.”

The comeback also marks his first competition under a new coaching setup. After the Tokyo World Championships, Neeraj parted ways with Jan Zelenky, the Czech javelin legend and three-time world champion who had been working with him. He now trains with Jay Chaudhary, a coach who has known him since the early days of his career. “Jay has seen my whole journey. He understands my technique better,” Neeraj said. “I wanted to focus on my technique and implement my ideas. I have got a good team with me.”

The AFI has provisionally included him in the Commonwealth Games 2026 squad, with a qualification mark of 82.61m to breach. At Doha, with nine months off his back and a point to prove, that should be the least of his concerns.