Tokyo Olympics gold medalist and Indian ace athlete Neeraj Chopra took to social media and issued clarity on his non-participation in the Paris Diamond League.
The Indian javelin thrower, as per reports, was initially supposed to be a part of the Diamond League as a part of his preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics but later did not confirm his entry.
However, news reports had earlier suggested that Neeraj withdrew due to an ongoing adductor issue that he has been facing for the past few months.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Neeraj cleared the air on his Paris Diamond League participation and said the tournament was never a part of his calendar this season and there was no question of ‘withdrawing from it’. “Just to clarify: the #ParisDL wasn’t part of my competition calendar this season, so I haven’t ‘withdrawn’ from it. I’m focusing on getting ready for the Olympic Games. Thanks for your understanding and support, and wishing all the athletes competing all the best,” Neeraj tweeted.
Neeraj had been having groin and adductor issues over the past year or so and said that he would consult doctors after the 2024 Paris Olympics. He even mentioned that his addcutor issues has plagued him from competing in many more tournaments than what he would have liked.
“Every year I have some problems with my adductor, maybe after the Olympics I am going to talk to different doctors. Initially I wanted to compete more this season, but it was not possible due to my niggles,” he had told earlier.
The 26-year-old athlete started the season with the Doha Diamond League where he finished second with a throw of 88.36m. He then competed in the National Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championship in Bhubaneshwar and aced the competition by winning the gold medal with a throw of 82.27m, a under-par performance as per his standards.
He then competed at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland, where his throw of 85.97 m was enough to fetch him the gold medal.
Neeraj will be gunning to defend his gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.