The win of the silver at the Paris Olympics added to his earlier gold, Neeraj Chopra found himself in introspective mood rather than celebratory. Beyond the historic gold-silver double, Chopra faces more immediate concerns.
Chopra has been plighted by an old groin problem which has plagued his performance in this meet and made him unable to pull off throws that the likes of gold medallist Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan, who created an Olympic record with a 92.97m throw, are capable of.
Chopra admitted that it is about time that he got the problem sorted out seriously now, and he would discuss with doctors to see whether any surgical solution is possible. “I will talk to my team and take a decision accordingly,” Chopra said after the final. He, however, felt confident as he had hurled the javelin to 89.94m—his personal best—and still felt that there was much left in him.
It is due to this groin problem that Chopra has had to sit out a few events this year and pulled out even from the 2022 Commonwealth Games. He revealed how management of this injury often shifts his focus away from technique work and onto the management of pain. “Doctors told me to go for surgery last year. I’m stretching myself till now. There have been treatments since, but we will have to take a big decision,” Chopra noted.
He was happy that this had happened to Nadeem, who has been facing injuries himself and had made a comeback this season. Chopra feels that in their game, managing injuries is pretty important, and he admired the resilience of Nadeem.
He does not stray far from the point: “Medals are a different thing. But jo ek distance hai mere andar. after the 2018 Asian Games, when I threw 88m, I feel there is a better throw left in me. Kaafi kuch hai andaar. Karenge bilkul.”