NEW DELHI : Former Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra has ended his 2026 season early after suffering a ligament tear during training, the Indian javelin thrower said on Saturday, ruling him out of next month’s Asian Games.
The 28-year-old, who won Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020 and silver at Paris 2024, finished second at the Lausanne Diamond League last week with a throw of 88.05 metres. He suffered the injury soon afterwards, facing another extended spell on the sidelines within a year.
“After discussions with my doctor and team, we’ve decided that I will sit out the rest of this season,” Chopra said in an Instagram post.
“It’s disappointing, especially because I felt close to finding my rhythm. But as they say, setbacks are a part of the journey.”
Chopra had been dealing with lower-back discomfort since 2023 and aggravated a disc injury during training in September 2025. He underwent nine months of rehabilitation after the Tokyo World Championships before returning to competition in June.
He had qualified for next week’s Diamond League final and was expected to be among India’s medal hopes at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
“My focus now is on recovering well and coming back even stronger,” Chopra added.
