New Delhi: Neeraj Chopra’s ankle ligament tear has ruled him out of next month’s Aichi–Nagoya Asian Games, ending India’s hopes of seeing him win a third consecutive Asian Games javelin gold medal.
Chopra, who won gold at the Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018 and Hangzhou in 2023, announced on Saturday that he will miss the remainder of the 2026 season, including the Diamond League Final. The setback comes shortly after he produced a season-best 88.05 metres at the Lausanne Diamond League last week. Soon afterwards, the 28-year-old suffered the ankle injury during a training session in Switzerland.
In Lausanne, Chopra finished second behind Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage, who threw 88.14 metres. Announcing his withdrawal, Chopra said he had finally felt that he was regaining the momentum he had been looking for after producing his season-best throw. Following discussions with his doctor and support team, however, he decided to focus on recovery and sit out the remainder of the season.
The injury has come at a particularly frustrating point in Chopra’s season. He competed in only three events in 2026 following a delayed return to competition, finishing fourth at the Doha Diamond League, second at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and second in Lausanne. His 88.05m effort in Lausanne appeared to signal a return to form just weeks before the Asian Games.
Instead, the athlete who was expected to spearhead India’s athletics campaign in Japan has been forced to withdraw. The Asian Games will be held from September 19 to October 4.
India will still have significant strength in the men’s javelin, with Rohit Yadav emerging as a major medal contender after producing a personal best of 87.68m this season. Yash Vir Singh, who finished third at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, is also among India’s leading javelin throwers.
Without Chopra, however, the battle for the Asian Games podium is likely to become considerably more open. Pathirage has been in exceptional form, while Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem remains another major name in the Asian javelin field.
Chopra’s absence also changes the equation for India in an event it dominated at the previous Asian Games. Chopra and Kishore Jena finished first and second respectively at Hangzhou 2023, giving India a historic one-two finish in the men’s javelin.
Replicating that dominance in Aichi–Nagoya will now be considerably more difficult.
