Neeraj Chopra to compete in Asian Games 2026, AFI confirms More sports news:
NEW DELHI: India’s javelin star Neeraj Chopra will compete in the Asian Games in Japan later this year as he seeks to defend his gold medal, Athletics Federation of India (AFI) selection committee chairman Adille Sumariwalla confirmed on Saturday.The two-time Olympic medalist has confirmed his participation in the Commonwealth Games, and the AFI has now clarified that he will also be part of India’s campaign at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4.“He joins both”Sumariwalla said Chopra has recovered well from a lower back injury that delayed the start of his 2026 season.“Yes. He (Chopra) will participate in the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. He has qualified and is recovering. He did 86m (85.69m) in his very first event, which was amazing,” Sumariwalla told PTI.“He won gold with 88m (at the 2022 Asian Games in China), so he’s close to 86m, then we don’t see any reason why he can’t do well in the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.”Chopra made her season debut at the Doha Diamond League, where she finished fourth with a best throw of 85.69m after recovering from a lower back injury.A formidable challenge awaitsChopra heads to Japan as the defending Asian Games champion after winning gold in Hangzhou in 2023 with a throw of 88.88m.The men’s javelin event is expected to be the most competitive, with Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who broke the 90m mark earlier this year, among the top contenders. Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem could also be in the field.Focus on peaking at the right timeSumariwalla said the AFI has left it up to Chopra and her support staff to decide if she needs another competition before the Commonwealth Games.“We left it to him (about the competition before the CWG), we said his medical team, his coach, everyone will sit down and work out what is the best competition he should compete in,” he said.“The important thing is that he can qualify, which he did. Now the important thing is how we can make him peak at the Commonwealth Games as well as the Asian Games.”India hopes to host the World ChampionshipsSumariwalla also said that India remains in the race to host the 2029 or 2031 World Athletics Championships in Ahmedabad. The country is also aiming to host the 2028 World U20 Championships.“We made bids to host these two championships in Ahmedabad. A team from World Athletics was in Ahmedabad, along with the chair of the bid committee. They checked the infrastructure, checked the transportation, hotels, operations, weather, food, everything.”“It’s a very tough competition, there’s London hosting the World Championships and the Olympic Games, there’s Munich hosting the Olympic Games as well, there’s Kenya that has done two Junior World Championships, so the fight is intense.”“We presented our best case scenario to them and we will wait and see what happens. A decision on the host city will be made in a meeting after the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest (September 11-13).”AFI is confident ahead of the Asian GamesLooking ahead to the Asian Games, Sumariwalla said the federation expects India to do better than the previous edition.“From what we have seen, things are good, we hope it will be better than last time.”“While the government said those who are in sixth place and eighth place (for selection), we take those who are in third or fourth place in most events. Although many people have qualified, so it only shows the strength of the bank, it only shows that what AFI is doing is right, that AFI’s strategy is working and we are on the right path.
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