Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra has admitted that competing at the 2025 World Championships despite carrying a back injury was a mistake, saying the decision affected his performance and delayed the start of his current season. However, the Indian javelin star said he has fully recovered and feels fit ahead of his return to competition at the Doha Diamond League on Friday.
Chopra endured a disappointing outing at the World Championships in Tokyo last September, finishing eighth with a best throw of 84.03m. The 28-year-old later revealed he had been battling a lower back injury, which required a lengthy recovery period.
"I had some injury last year before Tokyo World Championship. We work a lot and also competed in Tokyo, but I don't think that was a good decision because I already know that I have some problem. But that was the last competition (of 2025), so I decided to compete there," Chopra said ahead of the Doha Diamond League.
Reflecting on the challenges of managing injuries, he added, "In an athlete's life, if there is one injury we try to save that injury and then we feel another one. I had in my ankle, then somewhere in shoulder, then I sat together with my team and my physio and then we work on every part."
Chopra expressed confidence about his physical condition ahead of his season opener.
"I feel really good and fit, let's see tomorrow."
Doha holds special significance for Chopra as it was here on May 16, 2025, that he finally crossed the coveted 90m mark with a throw of 90.23m under the guidance of legendary Czech javelin thrower Jan Zelezny. Despite the milestone achievement, Chopra believes the throw was far from perfect.
"Technically, that throw was not that good, it was really fast from the arm but if I had done better with my lower body, that may be (added) two to three metre more. I looked at the video not so many times," he said.
The Indian athlete said some of his best technical throws have come during qualification rounds rather than finals.
"I really like my qualification round throws in the Olympics or World Championships because I feel really relaxed and throw far. But whenever I compete in finals or in main competition, I always try really hard, very aggressive, then I forget my technique.
"I really like to see my qualification round throws as they are technically better."
Split with Zelezny
Chopra also opened up on his decision to part ways with Zelezny in January after a year-long association, saying he felt the need to trust his own ideas and work more closely with an Indian coach.
"Zlezny was a great athlete and he was a really good coach also. We worked on a few specific things, I'm happy that I broke 90m under him. I had to stay in one place to hold the season, that was not possible for me. So we decided after Tokyo World Championships maybe I need to work with my ideas, so work with an Indian coach."
Chopra has since reunited with Jaiveer Chaudhary, his long-time mentor.
"He (Jaiveer Chaudhary) is my senior. I started javelin throw with him so he knows my story from last 15-16 years. He knows my training plans and everything, so now we work on my technique. We are not working anything specific, very deep on anything. I'm working on my natural technique."
Focus on Commonwealth Games and Asian Games
With no Olympics or World Championships on the calendar this year, Chopra said there is some mental relief, though major events still lie ahead.
He is part of India's 32-member athletics squad for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, subject to meeting the qualification standard of 82.61m. The event is expected to feature a strong field, including Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, Trinidad and Tobago's Keshorn Walcott and Grenada's Anderson Peters.
"All of them have thrown 90m, so Commonwealth Games will not be less (competitive) than Olympics or World Championships, it will be a really tough competition," Chopra said.
He also confirmed that he intends to compete at the Asian Games in Japan later this year.
Doha wind could play key role
Known for producing big throws, Doha has witnessed two of the five longest javelin throws in history. Chopra said understanding and using the wind effectively can make a significant difference.
"Sometime, I also throw against the wind here that was not good. We really need to understand how we can use the wind."
"In javelin throw, we can use wind for runway speed, it really helps. Also, if we point up (the spear) a little bit high and the wind pushes a little bit from behind the javelin, then it helps."
"But if you throw really flat, then I don't think so it (wind) will help you. So, you need your mind to throw if you want to use wind."