India’s star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has been forced to bring his 2026 season to a premature end after suffering a ligament tear in his ankle during training. The injury rules the Olympic and world champion out of next month’s Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, as well as the Diamond League Final.
Chopra announced the decision on Saturday, saying the injury occurred shortly after he produced a season’s-best performance at the Lausanne Diamond League. Following consultations with his doctor and support team, the 28-year-old decided against taking any further competitive risk and will now concentrate on rehabilitation.
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The setback comes at a frustrating stage of Chopra’s season. After a lengthy injury layoff, the javelin star had returned to competition in June at the Doha Diamond League, where he finished fourth with a throw of 85.69 metres. He subsequently competed in Glasgow, producing an 85.83m effort to finish second.
Chopra’s silver-medal performance in Glasgow had come behind Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage, who won gold with a massive 89.75m throw. The Lausanne Diamond League was Chopra’s third competitive appearance of the season and had offered encouraging signs that he was beginning to rediscover his rhythm and consistency.
His season-best throw in Lausanne had provided a much-needed confidence boost ahead of the Asian Games. Instead, the training injury has brought his campaign to an abrupt conclusion.
In a statement, Chopra expressed his disappointment at the development but said his priority was now to recover properly. He indicated that he had felt he was finally regaining the momentum he had been seeking after a difficult period.
The injury is particularly significant for India’s Asian Games campaign. Chopra was expected to be one of the country’s leading medal contenders in athletics and was set to spearhead India’s javelin challenge at the continental event.
His withdrawal also ends his hopes of competing at the Diamond League Final. Chopra had moved up to seventh in the qualification standings and remained in contention for a place at the season-ending competition. However, the ankle injury has now ended those prospects.
For Chopra, the immediate focus will be on rehabilitation rather than competition. The decision to sit out the remainder of the season is aimed at allowing him to recover fully instead of risking a premature return.
While his absence will leave a major void in India’s athletics campaign at the Asian Games, Chopra’s priority is now to regain full fitness. His 2026 season, which had shown signs of revival after a difficult start, will instead end with injury forcing him away from competition.
The defending Olympic champion will now look to use the rehabilitation period to return to competition at full strength rather than rushing his comeback.
