A day after finishing second at the 2024 Diamond League Final in Brussels, Belgium, India’s Neeraj Chopra revealed he competed in the tournament with a fractured hand.
Chopra, who finished behind Grenada’s Anderson Peters by just 1cm with a throw of 87.86m, took to his social media accounts to reveal the same.
“On Monday, I injured myself in practice and x-rays showed that I had fractured the fourth metacarpal in my left hand,” wrote Chopra in his post.
“It was another painful challenge for me. But with the help of my team, I was able to participate in Brussels.”
The Diamond League Final also marked the end of the 2024 season for Chopra, who bagged his second Olympic medal, a silver this time to go along with the gold from Tokyo 2020, at the Paris Games in August.
“This was the last competition of the year, and I wanted to end my season on the track,” wrote Chopra. “While I couldn’t meet my own expectations, I feel this was a season in which I learned a lot. I am now determined to return, fully fit and ready to go.”
The 2024 season was a tough one for the Indian javelin thrower. The 26-year-old Chopra struggled with a groin injury for most part of the season, having first picked up the injury last year.
The Khel Ratna awardee, however, decided against undergoing a surgery with the Paris Olympics ever so close and played through the season despite not being completely fit.
Chopra is now expected to take a call on whether he wants to undergo a groin surgery in the off-season.
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