Neeraj Chopra’s 2026 season ended after ankle ligament tear, Diamond League final and Asian Games exclusion

Neeraj Chopra (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra’s 2026 season has come to an early end after the Olympic and world champion tore a ligament in his ankle in training, ruling him out of next month’s Diamond League and Asian Games finals in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.Chopra made the announcement on Saturday, revealing that the injury occurred shortly after his best throw of the season in the Lausanne Diamond League. After consulting with his doctor and support team, the 28-year-old has decided not to take any further competitive risks and will now focus on his rehabilitation.The setback comes at a particularly frustrating time for Chopra, who has begun to feel like he’s finally rediscovering the consistency and momentum he’s been looking for this season.“After a period of hard work, I finally felt I was getting the momentum I was looking for with my best throw of the season in Lausanne,” Chopra said in a statement. “Unfortunately shortly after that I tore ligaments in my ankle in training. After discussion with my doctor and the team, we have decided that I will sit out the rest of this season.”“It’s disappointing, especially because I felt close to finding my rhythm. But as they say, setbacks are part of the journey.”“Now I’m focused on recovering well and coming back even stronger.”The injury means Chopra will miss the Asian Games, where she was expected to spearhead India’s medal campaign in athletics. His absence will be a major setback to the country’s hopes at the continental showpiece, which begins in Japan next month.Chopra’s 2026 campaign was a mixed bag. He returned to competition at the Diamond League in Doha in June after a long lay-off due to injury, finishing fourth with a throw of 85.69m. He then took silver in Glasgow with a performance of 85.83m, although Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage stole the show by taking gold with a mammoth throw of 89.75m.The Lausanne Diamond League was Chopra’s third competitive appearance of the season and offered signs that he is approaching his best. His best performance of the season there provided a much-needed confidence boost and was expected to serve as an important preparation for the Asian Games.Instead, Lausanne turned out to be his last competition of the year.Chopra will also miss the Diamond League finals. He moved up to seventh in the qualifying order and remained in contention for a place in the final event, but an ankle injury has now halted his campaign.For Chopra, the priority is now clear: to fully recover, not rush his comeback and return to the competition at full strength.For India, however, his absence leaves a distinct void heading into the Asian Games, where the defending Olympic champion was expected to be one of the country’s biggest medal hopes.