‘Have to Keep Myself Fit’: Neeraj Hints at Surgery After Groin Issue Affects Performance at Olympics

Neeraj Chopra kept India's head up high at the Paris Olympics after he secured a silver medal finish at the Paris Olympics. The Indian javelin ace put up his best effort to defend his gold in Paris but was outpaced by Arshad Nadeem, who secured the gold medal. Chopra's efforts were commendable, but he looked to be struggling throughout the Final event, leading to his number two finish at the podium. Neeraj has opened up on the issue he faced during his outing against the globe's top Javelin stars and also hinted at addressing it.

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Neeraj Chopra Contemplates Surgery for Adductor Issue Impacting Olympic Performance

Neeraj Chopra has confirmed that he was struggling with a groin injury, which impacted his performance at the Men's Javelin Final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He revealed that he would be having a discussion with the team and hinted that surgery could be an option for his issue. 

"I will talk to my team and take a decision accordingly. I am pushing myself despite the current situation of my body. The throw is good. But there’s still a lot inside me and I have to keep myself fit for it. I have never felt, sach mein, even though I have not crossed 90m... I thought I’ll do it. I had the belief. But, I have won a medal for my country. So that’s a big deal too.

“I already threw 89.94m [PB in 2022] with this injury. When I throw, I always focus almost 50 percent on my injury. We have to focus mostly on technique, but it's really hard for me with this injury. Doctors told me to go for surgery last year. Kheech raha hoon abhi tak [I’m stretching myself till now]. There have been treatments since. But we will have to take a big decision," Neeraj Chopra said after the match.

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The adductor niggle has been a longstanding problem for the Tokyo Olympics Gold Medalist and he has missed a lot of championship matches due to the injury.

Despite missing out on the gold, Chopra made history after becoming the third Indian and the first in track and field to win back-to-back individual Olympic medals. Only Sushil Kumar and shuttler PV Sindhu have won back-to-back Olympic medals.