AFI confirms Neeraj Chopra for 2026 Asian Games | More Sports News
New Delhi: India’s javelin stars Neeraj Chopra Athletics Federation of India (AFI) selection committee chairman Adil Summariwala on Saturday confirmed that he will compete in the Asian Games in Japan later this year in a bid to defend his gold medal.The two-time Olympic medalist has already confirmed his participation in the Commonwealth Games and the AFI has now made it clear that he will also join India in the Asian Games in Nagoya, Ai from September 19 to October 4.“He will participate in both events”Sumaliwala said Chopra is recovering well from a lower back injury that delayed the start of his 2026 season.“Yes. He (Chopra) will compete in the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. He has qualified and is recovering. He did 86m (85.69m) in the first event which was fantastic,” Sumariwalla told PTI.“He won the gold medal (at the 2022 Asian Games in China) with 88m, so he’s close to 86m, so there’s no reason to think he won’t do well in both the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.”Chopra made his debut at the Doha Diamond League, where he finished fourth with a best throw of 85.69m after recovering from a back injury.Tough challenges awaitChopra will travel to Japan as the defending Asian Games champion after winning the gold medal with a throw of 88.88m at the 2023 Hangzhou Olympics.Competition in the men’s javelin is expected to be fierce, with Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage one of the leading contenders after crossing the 90m mark earlier this year. Pakistan Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem may also compete.Focus on reaching the top at the right timeSumaliwala said the AFI has left it to Chopra and his support staff to decide whether he needs to play one more event before the Commonwealth Games.“We’ve left it up to him (regarding the games ahead of the CWG) and we said his medical team, his coaches, everyone is going to sit together and figure out the best games he needs to play,” he said.“The important thing for him was to qualify and he did that. What’s important now is how we get him to peak at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.”India expected to host world championshipsSumaliwala also said that India is still vying to host the World Athletics Championships in Ahmedabad in 2029 or 2031. The country has also bid to host the 2028 U20 World Championship.“We made a bid to host both championships in Ahmedabad. A team from World Athletics was in Ahmedabad along with the chairman of the bid committee. They checked the infrastructure, assessed transport, hotels, operations, weather, food, everything.”“It’s a very intense competition, London has hosted the World Championships and the Olympics, Munich has hosted the Olympics, Kenya has hosted two Junior World Championships, so it’s a very intense competition.”“We presented them with the best case scenario and let’s wait and see what happens. The decision on the host city will be made at a meeting after the World Athletics Extreme Championships in Budapest (September 11-13).”AFI is confident about Asian GamesLooking ahead to the Asian Games, Sumaliwala said India is expected to perform better than the previous Asian Games.“From what we’ve seen, things are going well and we should be better than we were last time.”“While the government says it’s sixth and eighth (for selection), we go for third or fourth in most events. Yet so many people advance, so it just shows the strength of the bench, it just shows that what AFI is doing is right, AFI’s strategy is working and we’re on the right path.”
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