The last time: Neeraj Chopra competing in the Commonwealth Games, he won gold in 2018. The next edition passed him due to a groin injury. Now, after nearly nine months out and returning to competition last month, the Olympic champion has another chance to fight for the title in Glasgow.Competing in the Doha Diamond League on June 19, where he broke the 90m mark for the first time in his career last year, Chopra produced a best throw of 85.69m. It wasn’t enough for a top-three finish, but it helped him qualify for the Commonwealth Games.It was as far as his personal best of 90.23m, but Chopra has looked confident since arriving in Glasgow and is focused on reclaiming the CWG title he won in 2018.While the qualifiers are scheduled for Thursday, Saturday night’s final will not be a walk in the park as he will be up against long-time rival Arshad Nadeem, apart from the likes of Anderson Peters, Julius Yego and Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage.Nadeem did not have the best of seasons this year but came into the tournament as the defending champion after winning gold in 2022 with a throw of 90.18m. Yego, too, struggled to hit top form in 2026 but finished third in Birmingham with an effort of 85.70m.Peters, who finished second in 2022, meanwhile, was in good touch, with a best throw of 86.38m at the Doha Diamond League. Australia’s Cameron McEntyre has also made great strides this year and remains ahead of Chopra on the world list this season.However, the biggest attraction was Sri Lanka’s Pathirage after he unleashed a world-leading 92.62m at the Rome Diamond League. Apart from this, he also registered throws of 89.37m, 89.28m and 88.68m this year, and Chopra admitted that he was impressed by the youngster.But the dark horse of the event could be India’s Rohit Yadav. He topped the tournament after winning gold at the Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar with a massive throw of 87.05m. This is his second Commonwealth Games after finishing sixth in Birmingham with a personal best of 82.22m.“I missed out last time, but I will go there to win a medal this time,” Yadav said in Bhubaneswar.While Neeraj’s performances over the years have always inspired him to do better, Yadav has also banked on the impressive performances of Indian athletes in recent months.“Everyone has a lot of confidence in themselves these days and they feel like they can achieve a lot of things too,” added the 25-year-old.However, he is confident that there is no need to worry about Chopra despite her return to the competition last month. “He can make big shots in any competition,” Yadav said.Neeraj, however, is more focused on winning titles than making big throws, and he will take the first step towards that when he competes in Thursday’s qualifiers.