Neeraj Chopra is back. After taking a precautionary break due to a strain in his adductor, the Olympic champion returns to competition at the 2024 Paavo Nurmi Games on Tuesday. This will be Neeraj's third event of 2024 as he rebuilds his form and fitness ahead of the all-important title defence at the Paris Olympics.
How has 2024 been so far for Neeraj?
The reigning Olympic and world champion began his season by finishing second at the Doha edition of the Diamond League with an 88.36m throw, which was followed by a modest 82.27m throw at the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar. Neeraj did not push himself a 100% in the energy-sapping conditions in Bhubaneswar - which was his first competition in India since the Olympic medal. Ten days later, he announced that he would skip the Ostrava Golden Spike event after he "felt something in my adductor." He asserted that he was not injured and that this was a precautionary step taken to avoid any risk, especially considering all that's at stake this year. He now makes a comeback after that month-long break and is up against some of the world's best at the Paavo Nurmi Games.
Who is Neeraj's competition at the Paavo Nurmi Games?
Neeraj will be the only Indian competing at the Paavo Nurmi Games. Kishore Kumar Jena, who has qualified for the Paris Olympics by going past the entry standard of 85.50m, will be in action at the Inter-States later this month in Panchkula alongside DP Manu. Manu, who is ranked #13 in the Road To Paris list, will be looking to solidify his chances of becoming the third Indian javelin thrower to qualify for the Paris Games.
Neeraj will be up against a properly stacked field that looks like this -
Max Dehning: The teenage German sensation who recently became the youngest to cross the coveted 90m mark.
Arshad Nadeem: Neeraj's good friend and his strongest rival in Asia. Neeraj had beaten Nadeem at the 2023 Worlds and the Pakistani thrower, who has also gone past the 90m mark, is making a comeback from a knee injury.
Anderson Peters: Two-time world champion, hungry to find form after a poor season in 2023. He's already got an 86.62m throw under his belt this season.
Oliver Helander: The local favourite, Helander will look to win the title at home for the second time in three years. He'd beaten Neeraj to the trophy in 2022.
Neeraj will also be up against 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott and 2022 European champion Julian Weber.
How important are the Paavo Nurmi Games for Neeraj?
This competition comes at a crucial time for Neeraj, considering that the Paris Olympics are less than 40 days away. This is likely to be among his last preparatory event before the Olympics, with the Paris Diamond League on July 7 being the one final option.
Neeraj had competed in five events in 2021 before the Olympics and would ideally want to get in as many competitions as possible.
The Paavo Nurmi Games offer Neeraj a chance to test his body and assess his recovery from that adductor strain. Based on how his body responds, he can chart out the remainder of his training and rehab regimen until Paris.
Plus, Neeraj will rub shoulders with the bunch that is likely to challenge him for the Olympic medal and this will not only help him gauge his form but also look at how his rivals are shaping up.
How has Neeraj fared earlier at the Paavo Nurmi Games?
Neeraj had begun his 2022 season at the Paavo Nurmi Games [his first competition since the Olympic gold medal] and had recorded his then-personal best of 89.30m. It set him up well for the rest of the year as he improved his personal best to 89.94m, became the Diamond League champion and won silver at the World Championship. He had skipped the 2023 edition due to injury.
What has Neeraj said in the run-up to Paavo Nurmi?
Neeraj wasn't pleased with his performance at the Federation Cup last month, saying "Let's not talk about the throw, it was not up to it." It was his second competition and the conditions were far from easy, so he didn't read too much into the performance and asserted, like he always has, that he wants to remain consistent in that late 80m range and get past the 90m barrier at the earliest.
Speaking back in April, Neeraj had mentioned that he was looking forward to competing against Dehning. "I haven't competed with him yet, but it will be fun to meet him and go up against him for the first time. Mazza aayega [it will be fun]," he had said.
The 19-year-old Dehning had taken the track and field world by storm after he improved his personal best by 10m to go from 79.13m in 2022 to 90.20m at the German Winter Throwing Championships in February. Dehning, thus, has joined the elite list of throwers battling against Neeraj.
Where can I watch Neeraj compete at the 2024 Paavo Nurmi Games?
You can watch Neeraj Chopra compete at the 2024 Paavo Nurmi Games from 9pm onwards on Sports18 - 1 HD or live stream it on JioCinema.