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Published 11:44 IST, October 10th 2019

Neeraj Chopra to miss the National Open Athletics Championships

21-year-old Javelin throw national record holder, Neeraj Chopra, will be missing the National Open Athletics Championships at Ranchi after AFI revoked permit.

Reported by: Mrigank Pandey
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Neeraj Chopra
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Neeraj Chopra will not be participating in the 59th National Open Athletics Championships in Ranchi. Neeraj had been out of action for some time now because of the elbow surgery. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) recently gave Neeraj clearance to participate in the event and his return was very hyped. In a sudden turn of events, the AFI has revoked its clearance and Neeraj will miss the event.

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The final Championship before the end of the Season

Earlier this year, Neeraj was in South Africa when he injured his elbow. He later underwent surgery to heal the elbow and needed rehabilitation. Neeraj missed the IAAF World Championships last month after the AFI denied him the clearance to participate at the mega event in Doha, Qatar. The AFI tweeted on October 9 revealing that Chopra would be participating in the upcoming event at Ranchi.

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Neeraj, in a recent interview, mentioned how he looked at the Championships as a way to get back into the competitive spirit. On Thursday, it was revealed that the AFI has revoked the clearance for Neeraj to participate in the event. It is being reported that Chopra needs more time to heal and be completely ready for competition.

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A young star

The 21-year-old Neeraj is one of India's brightest athletes. The javelin thrower has won gold at the 2018 Asian Games which was India's first appearance at the event. He even won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. His last appearance at an event for India was at the Asian Games where he set the national record with a throw of 88.06 metres.

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Updated 12:23 IST, October 10th 2019