Neeraj Chopra in perfect shape ahead of Commonwealth Games, says India athletics chief coach
New Delhi: India’s athletics team has received a major boost ahead of the Commonwealth Games with chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair expressing confidence in Neeraj Chopra’s fitness and the team’s overall medal chances in Glasgow.
Chopra, who won the men’s javelin gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, returns to the event after missing the 2022 edition because of injury. The Olympic champion has had a limited season after suffering a lower back injury before the 2025 World Championships and has competed only once this year, finishing fourth at the Doha Diamond League with a throw of 85.69m.
Speaking to PTI, Nair said Chopra is in the best shape he has seen in a long time and believes the star javelin thrower is ready to deliver another strong performance.
Tough competition awaits in javelin
The men’s javelin event is expected to be one of the biggest attractions of the Games. Chopra will face strong competition from Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, Grenada’s Anderson Peters and Pakistan’s defending Commonwealth champion and Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem.
India also has Rohit Yadav in the event, who threw 87.05m last month and could challenge for a medal if he produces a similar performance. The qualifying round is scheduled for July 30, while the final will take place a day later.
India target bigger medal haul
Nair is also optimistic about India’s overall athletics campaign. The country won eight medals in Birmingham in 2022 including one gold and the chief coach believes the team can improve on that tally this time around.
India has several medal hopefuls across different events including the men’s javelin, long jump, triple jump and high jump. Distance runner Gulveer Singh, steeplechase athlete Parul Chaudhary and decathlete Tejaswin Shankar are also expected to play important roles during the competition.
With several athletes arriving in good form, India will be aiming to return from Glasgow with its strongest athletics performance at the Commonwealth Games in recent years.