‘I was scared’: Neeraj Chopra opens up on injury struggle after Commonwealth Games silver

New Delhi: Neeraj Chopra returned to the Commonwealth Games podium with a silver medal in the men’s javelin throw, but the result meant much more than another medal. The Olympic champion revealed he was still dealing with the fear of getting injured again and admitted the mental battle had been just as difficult as the physical recovery.

Chopra produced a season-best throw of 85.83m to finish second behind Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who won gold with 89.75m. India also celebrated a bronze medal through Yash Vir Singh, whose personal best throw of 85.41m completed a memorable double podium finish for the country.

Speaking after the event, Chopra said he is gradually finding his rhythm again after spending several months recovering from a recurring lower back injury.

‘Feels good to return to podium’

The 28-year-old admitted he was cautious throughout the competition because he did not want to push his body too hard. “My comeback is going well. It feels good to return to the podium. I am slowly getting the results of the work that I put in,” Chopra said.

He added that the biggest challenge was not the weather in Glasgow but overcoming the fear of another setback. “Today as well, I was scared. I did not want to run very hard and wanted to keep my body in control. But the throw was fine,” he said while also admitting he is still working towards regaining full fitness.

Positive signs ahead of Asian Games

Although Chopra is not yet back to his peak condition, he believes there is enough time to improve before the Asian Games. He is expected to compete in upcoming Diamond League events as part of his preparations.

The evening also belonged to Yash Vir Singh, who claimed bronze with a personal best of 85.41m on his final attempt. Rohit Yadav finished seventh with a best throw of 81.56m while Pakistan’s defending champion Arshad Nadeem was eliminated after three rounds.

For Chopra, the silver medal marked his first podium finish in nearly a year. More importantly, it showed that his comeback is moving in the right direction, even if there is still work left to do.