Chopra reveals he took part in Diamond League final with fracture in hand

Double Olympic gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Sunday revealed that he took part in the Diamond League season finale here despite a fracture in his nonthrowing left hand which he sustained during a training sessionOn Saturday Chopra came agonisingly close to winning the Diamond League crown before missing it by a single centimeter to finish as runnerup for the second consecutive year with a throw of 8786m hereOn Monday I injured myself in practice and xrays showed that I had fractured the fourth metacarpal in my left hand It was another painful challenge for me But with the help of my team I was able to participate in Brussels the 26yearold said on his social media handleChopra who throws with his right hand was beaten for the gold by twotime world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada who sent his spear to 8787m in his first attempt This was Chopras second consecutive Diamond League runnerup finish after winning the crown in 2022He normally falls down with his left palm touching the ground in the follow through after releasing the spear On Saturday in all his six attempts Chopra avoided falling down and touching the ground with his left palmThe Haryana athlete had been struggling with his fitness this year and is expected to meet a doctor soon to rectify a groin injury that has affected him all season and came in the way of his quest to hit the elusive 90m markAlso Read Lausanne Diamond League Neeraj Chopra finishes second with seasonrsquos best 8949mThis hand injury is a new one and he did not elaborate much on it This fracture may need a few months to healChopra who added a silver to his Olympic medal tally in Paris following a historic gold at the Tokyo Games thus ended his season on a highBut he admitted that he could not meet his own expectations in the seasonThis was the last competition of the year and I wanted to end my season on the track While I couldnrsquot meet my own expectations I feel this was a season in which I learned a lot I am now determined to return fully fit and ready to go he saidReflecting on his season he said As the 2024 season ends I look back on everything Irsquove learned through the year about improvement setbacks mentality and moreI want to thank all of you for your encouragement 2024 has made me a better athlete and person See you in 2025 The Haryana athlete remained consistent throughout the season though he won just one international event this season the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku Finland on June 18He had made the Diamond League final cut after finishing fourth in the overall standings with 14 points from his two secondplace finishes in DL oneday meets in Doha and Lausanne on May 10 and August 22 respectivelyNext seasons major event is the World Championships in Tokyo September 1321 where Chopra would aim to defend the gold he had won in 2023 He has already qualified for the World Championships after breaching the entry mark of 8550mThe window for achieving the qualification standard is August 1 2024 to August 24 2025With agency inputs