Neeraj Chopra feared his season was over after injury ended his CWG 2022 hopes

Indias ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has said when he was forced to skip the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham due to a groin injury he felt it was the end of his competitive season but after the rehab in Germany he had the confidence to come back and compete in the Diamond League in LausanneThe Olympic Games gold medallist also said it was a matter of time before he breaches the 90metre mark in competitionChopra on Friday finished first at the Lausanne Diamond League becoming the first Indian to clinch the top spot in a Diamond League meet after registering an 8908m throw in his first attempt In the Stockholm Diamond League earlier this year Chopra had thrown a personal best of 8994m and had finished secondWith his Fridays performance he has now qualified for the Diamond League final on September 78 in Zurich Switzerland as well as the 2023 World Championships which has a qualification mark of 8520mThe 24yearold javelin thrower had picked up the groin injury on way to winning silver at the World Championships in Eugene USAI had to skip Commonwealth Games due to groin injury and I felt that I will have to end the season But there wasnt much pain so I had the belief that I will recover before the tournament Diamond League in Lausanne I made some good throws in the training and was feeling well hence we made the decision to compete here I did my rehab in Germany with my coach and physio Ishaan Marwaha It went really well I had very limited time to prepare but proper planning in rehab helped me recover quickly the star javelin thrower saidThis win is very important for our country he addedChopra said was he elated to see Olympic Games gold medallist in rifle shooting Abhinav Bindra in the crowd cheering for him on FridayIt was a special night felt really good to win and most importantly made a comeback with a very good throw Abhinav Bindra sir IOC president Thomas Bach sir and the crowd were cheering for me I enjoyed and felt really good to perform in such a great atmosphere said NeerajPutting the title into perspective Neeraj said This win is very important for our country I feel we shouldnt be only focusing on the events that happen after four or two yearsAlso Read Asia Cup 2022 preview Can Bumrahless India get their revenge on PakistanCompetitions like the Diamond League meet or continental tours are really good opportunities for athletes It happens every year and it gives us opportunities to do well It really helps prepare well for the major tournaments because worldclass athletes participate here Performing well in these tournaments will also help Indian athletics and the sport he opinedHe added I will be very happy to see more Indian athletes taking part in these competitions and I will be delighted to participate along with my fellow Indian athletes at a stage like this Steeplechaser Avinash Sable and long jumper Sreeshankar also participated in the Diamond League this year so gradually our country is reaching this level and if we will perform better here then it will help Indian athletics do well at bigger stagesBy virtue of this win Neeraj has qualified for the Diamond League finals which will be held in Zurich next month Asked about his plans for the finals the Olympic gold medallist said Diamond League Finals in Zurich will be the seasons last competition so the plan is to continue doing the same things which Ive been doing Its only 10 days I dont have much time to do more or train extra The focus will be to end the season on a positive note without any injuryNeeraj has also qualified for the 2023 World Championships which will be held in Budapest Hungary With the throw he breached the 8520m qualifying markOpening up on the 2023 World Championships Neeraj said Its an advantage to qualify for the World Championships much in advance as there are other tournaments like Asian Games and Asian Championships lined up as well so next year will be very important And then the Paris Olympics in 2024 So the World Championships qualification is already out of the picture I can prepare well for all the competitionsReflecting on the successful season Neeraj said Its been a great year for me so far I have gone over 89m thrice out of the five competitions 883m in the World Championships and managed to do well in Kuortane Games with 8669m despite the challenging weather So the performance has been consistent and now the focus is on doing well in Zurich Yes everyone has been asking about 90m throw it will happen when the time comes I dont have any pressure about it as suchIve always believed that Diamond League is a big competition and I really like competing here I dont want to focus only on the Olympics Commonwealth Games Asian Games and World Championships because winning a Diamond League Trophy is also a big achievement for an athlete he addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness 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