Asian Games champion Neeraj Chopra, who was stopped from going to Ranchi for the National Open by the AFI, will return to competition by the end of this year.
Since the Indian athletics season begins in late February, it is likely to be a foreign meet for the 21-year-old who has been out of competitive action for a year. He underwent an elbow surgery in May.
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“Neeraj should be fine by November-December. He will be ready to throw in a competition by the end of the year. And the meets he will be competing have all been chalked out,” AFI president Adille Sumariwalla told Sportstar.
Why AFI stopped Neeraj from competing at Nationals:
Sumariwalla explained why Neeraj had to be stopped from going to Ranchi.
“Neeraj told me he was under great pressure to compete. Sponsors want him to throw, all these things... I said, 'you decide whether you want to succumb to that pressure or you want to not participate in the Olympics? You have two options',” said the AFI chief.
“He's throwing the javelin every day. He is training-fit but is he competition-fit? He's under the constant review of doctors, physio and the biomechanics expert. But competition is different. When you suddenly see somebody throwing one metre more, you will jerk your hand a little more. I don't want that to happen. The experts feel it should not happen.
“Once he is throwing 300, 400, 500 throws, 80 plus, then that is part of his normal throwing. He has just started throwing, he's throwing well, doing everything well but we don't want to give that extra jerk. So that is the issue.”
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