Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra is set to return to competition at the Doha Diamond League on 19 June, ending a 274-day absence from the circuit.
The former world champion’s last competitive appearance came at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo last September, where a recurring back injury hampered his performance and saw him finish eighth. It was the first time in 2,566 days that Chopra had finished outside the podium places.
Following the 2025 World Championships, Neeraj parted ways with his coach, Jan Železný, the world record holder in the javelin throw and currently training under his first coach, Jai Chaudhary, at Switzerland’s Bienne Olympic Training Centre as part of a 47-day training programme.
The confirmation of his participation in the Doha Diamond League came a day after the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) named the 28-year-old in India’s Commonwealth Games squad on Sunday as the organising committee released the Doha DL entry list.
However, Neeraj’s CWG berth is subject to him meeting the required performance criteria before the Glasgow event.
“Neeraj is training well and is ready to compete. He has recovered well and is fit again. He is expected to return to competition within the next 10 days,” AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla said on Sunday while announcing India’s 32-member contingent. However, he added that Chopra’s inclusion for the Commonwealth Games remains subject to qualification.
“He will have to achieve the qualification mark set by the AFI, just like the others,” Sumariwalla added.
Rohit Yadav and Yashvir Singh, who surpassed the Commonwealth Games qualification standard of 82.61m at the Ludhiana leg of the Athletics Series on Saturday, have also been selected for the Glasgow showpiece.Neeraj could join them as India’s third javelin thrower if he clears the qualifying mark.
A Familiar but Challenging Field in Doha
Neeraj, who breached the elusive 90m mark with a national record throw of 90.23m at last year’s Doha Diamond League, will return to the Suhaim bin Hamad Stadium aiming to comfortably surpass the Commonwealth Games qualification standard of 82.61m.
The venue has long been a happy hunting ground for javelin throwers, with the winning mark exceeding 90m in three of the last five editions.
However, the competition will be considerably tougher for India’s double Olympic medallist this time as he returns to face elite throwers who are already deep into their season.
His biggest challenge is likely to come from Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage Tharanga, who recently announced himself on the global stage with a stunning 92.62m throw to win the Rome Diamond League. The field also includes former Olympic champion and reigning world medallist Keshorn Walcott, former world champions Anderson Peters and Julius Yego, and former Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch.
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