New Delhi: Serving India a backlash, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra backed out of Birmingham Commonwealth Games after sustaining an injury in the World Athletics Championships, NDTV reported citing Indian Olympics Association (IAO) statement.
The Olympic-gold-medallist had won silver in World Athletics Championships on Sunday, throwing 88.13 metres in Oregon. He sustained the injury there, making him unable to defend his gold at the Commonwealth Games.
IOA secretary general, Rajeev Mehta, said in the statement that Neeraj Chopra had called him on Tuesday from the US and informed his inability to participate in Birmingham. After his participation in the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Chopra had an MRI scan done on Monday and based on it, he has been advised a month's rest by his medical team, Mehta added.
Neeraj had complained of the discomfort in his thigh after his performance in Oregon. He had said that after the fourth throw, he wasn't able to put much effort after he felt the discomfort. However, he just wanted to make sure he could throw, and for that, he strapped his thigh.
Making a throw 6cm short of the 90m mark, Neeraj had recorded a new national record of 89.94m at the Diamond League in Stockholm last month, before World Championship. Neeraj finished second, and Grenada's Anderson Peters won gold with 90.13m.
This season, the ace Indian thrower had improved his best twice. He had recorded 89.30m in June's Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland before Stockholm. He also won the Kuortane Games in Finland with a throw of 86.69m before Stockholm.