All eyes on Neeraj Chopra’s fitness as he returns to action at Paavo Nurmi Games

All eyes will be on Neeraj Chopra’s fitness as the reigning Olympic and world champion returns to action with the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland on Tuesday. Neeraj’s last competitive outing was at the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar in May where he won gold with a 82.27m throw amid difficult weather conditions.

He was expected to take part in Ostrava Golden Spike towards the end of May but
pulled out
as he “felt something in my adductor (group of muscles located on inner thighs)“.

With the Paris Olympics 2024 not very far, Indian fans will hope Neeraj has already recovered well and is ready to take on the challenge of competing against a stellar field in Finland.

In a very long time, breaching the 90m mark will not be on the mind of the fans but more importantly, they would want him to have a strong outing so that he can get into his rhythm ahead of the Olympics.

At the Paavo Nurmi Games, Neeraj will be up against Germany’s 19-year-old Max Dehning who has already crossed the 90m mark. Also competing at the Games are two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada and 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago.

After the Paavo Nurmi Games, Neeraj Chopra will take part in the Paris Diamond League on 7 July.

Neeraj’s record at Paavo Nurmi Games:

2022: Silver medal with 89.30m throw.

2023: Did not compete due to Injury.

LIVE streaming: Neeraj Chopra’s javelin throw event is scheduled for 9.45 PM IST. In India, it will be broadcast LIVE on Sports18 – 1 HD. The live streaming will be available on JioCinema.