Indian javelin champion Neeraj Chopra stated on Friday that his season did not end as he had hoped due to his disappointing eighth-place finish at the World Championships, but he promised to return better after the break.
The defending gold champion, Chopra, was eliminated following the fifth round of the Tokyo finals on Thursday after managing a best time of just 84.03 due to back pain. He then disclosed that he had been dealing with a back problem since the start of this month, but he did not want to blame this for the subpar performance.
He lauded praise on newcomer Sachin Yadav on Friday after the latter exceeded him with a strong 86.27-meter throw that put him in fourth place.
“It’s not how I had hoped to end the season, at the World Championships in Tokyo. I wanted to step out there and give my best for India despite all the challenges but it wasn’t my night,” he posted on X.
“I’m really happy for Sachin, who threw a personal best and almost brought home a medal. Congratulations to @keshorn_walcott, @peters_oly and @Curt_Thompson on their well-deserved podium places,” he said.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott (88.16m) won the gold, followed by Anderson Peters of Grenada (87.38m) and American Curtis Thompson (86.67m).
The 27-year-old Haryana native, who has won two Olympic medals, said he would return stronger.
“Grateful for all your support, this only makes me determined to come back stronger,” he said.
