New Delhi: Neeraj Chopra has described his recent return from an almost nine-month long injury layoff as the toughest comeback of his career, saying he had to battle multiple injuries simultaneously while also coming to terms with the physical toll of years of competing at the highest level.“The recovery period was one of the toughest (of my career). This time it wasn’t just one injury. I had issues with my achilles tendon, back, shoulder and elbow. My body was feeling the impact of competing at a high level for so many years. Recovery took longer, but I’m happy to have made another successful comeback,” Neeraj said.The Olympic and World champion has also developed a mature outlook towards results after years of dominating international javelin. Returning at the Doha Diamond League, he finished fourth with a best throw of 85. 69m — the first time since 2022 that he had failed to finish inside the top-two at a Diamond League event.Yet, the 28-year-old was far from disappointed. “I didn’t push myself too hard in Doha. I was happy with 85m because I wasn’t throwing that far in training either. Earlier, I would never have accepted fourth place or an 85m throw. But I knew the situation I was coming back from and that I had to move forward step by step,” he said on the sidelines of the Indian Athletics Awards ceremony here.Neeraj revealed that recurring injuries forced him to reassess his schedule and prioritise rehabilitation over an early return. Usually beginning his throwing programme in Jan or Feb, he only resumed serious throwing in May this year. “The good thing is that I’m back in training and out of injury.”The upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow remains his primary target this season, followed by the Asian Games in Japan. Any competition before those events will largely serve as preparation.“The main target is the CWG and then Asian Games. I don’t want to push myself unnecessarily. If I qualify naturally for other major events, that’s fine, but my focus is on staying healthy and building form,” he said.Neeraj is now training under Jaiveer Chaudhary, the coach with whom he began his javelin journey as a teenager, after ending his association with world-record holder Jan Zelezny.“There is a comfort level with Jaiveer. I also wanted to work on my own ideas and thoughts about training,” he said.Looking ahead, Neeraj expects stiff competition, particularly from Sri Lanka’s rising star Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem. Rumesh has emerged as one of the season’s standout performers, crossing the 90m mark and winning two Diamond League titles.“Rumesh is very talented. It’s good to see competition growing in South Asia. The CWG and Asian Games will be as challenging as any major championship,” Neeraj said. “My body is much better. It’s too early to say if it’s back to the old Neeraj, but it is slowly getting there,” he added.
