Neeraj Chopra’s solid 2024 despite injury: Olympic silver and three 89+ throws

Neeraj Chopra’s 2024 season has come to an end with his performance in the Diamond League final on September 14, Saturday in Brussels. Neeraj gave good competition to an in-form Anderson Peters to finish second in the final on Saturday to round off what has been an eventful and memorable season.
Neeraj’s season started with the Doha Diamond League, where he finished second with a throw of 88.36 m. It was just 0.02 m behind the eventual winner at the meet, Jakub Vadlejch. The 26-year-old then returned to Bhubaneshwar for the Federation Cup where he won the gold medal with a throw of 82.27 m. The Indian star further headed to the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku to prepare himself for the Paris Olympics 2024.
He finished first at the Paavo Nurmi Games and headed to Paris with a lot of confidence on his side. However, throughout the year, Neeraj was seen struggling with a persistent groin niggle and had skipped the Ostrava Meet and the Paris Diamond League during the year. At the Olympics, Neeraj would hit 89.45 m, which was his second-best attempt at that time. However, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem would go home with the gold medal after hitting a throw of 92.97 m in the end.
Neeraj would then head to the Lausanne Diamond League, with the talk of surgery being on the horizon. In Lausanne, Neeraj didn’t seem to be at his best. However, when the chips were down, the 26-year-old stepped up to hit 89.49 m to finish 2nd in the meet and move into the 4th spot in the Diamond League standings. He would then finish things off with the Diamond League final, where he missed out on the top spot by just 0.01 m in the end.
Neeraj’s top 3 throws in 2024
Despite a lingering groin injury, Neeraj has pushed himself harder than ever in 2024, opting to delay surgery in favour of focusing on the crucial Olympic year. Each time he steps onto the field, he is acutely aware of the risk of worsening his condition. The injury has occasionally affected his run-up, braking, and release, but his resolve remains unshaken. A significant part of his perseverance is owed to his dedicated team, particularly physio Ishaan Marwaha, who has played a key role in keeping Neeraj match-fit during this challenging season.
We can expect the Indian star to get his issues sorted out ahead of the new season as he starts to chase the 90m dream once again. Neeraj said that he didn’t keep thinking about the feat a lot but it is now in his mind and will be aiming to breach it in the new season.
“It was probably the day for a 90m throw. It was needed as well. I haven’t thought about it (90m throw) that much, but it’s on my mind now. I gave it my all,” Neeraj told India Today after the Olympic final in Paris.
In the year 2025, we can certainly expect to see a Neeraj who will be more determined than ever to secure a second Diamond trophy and breach the 90m mark.