Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra will be in action in the men's javelin throw event at the ongoing Asian Games 2023 on October 4. India's greatest athlete would seek to defend his gold medal and end the season on a high when he takes the field in Hangzhou on Wednesday.
It is likely that Neeraj Chopra will add another gold to India's medal tally as his nearest competitor and world silver medallist Arshad Nadeem has pulled out of the Games due to a chronic knee injury which has troubled him for some time now.
"After consulting the medical personnel, Mr. Arshad Nadeem has now decided not to participate in the Asian Games in order to prevent any untoward situation that may hinder his training program and participation in the Paris 2024," the Pakistan contingent issued a press release.
Neeraj Chopra has won every competition against Nadeem, nine in all, including the 2018 Asian Games, where the Pakistani was third when the Indian stood on top of the podium.
19th Asian Games Hangzhou 🙏🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/TQAEun1mGj
September 29, 2023A few days ago, Chopra said that he does not want the thought of his groin strain to affect him. Chopra has played most part of the season with a groin strain but still won the world championships title in August in Budapest and went on to finish second in the Diamond League finals on September 16.
"I have come back here after training and doing rehab in a relaxed manner in Switzerland. I hope to give my 100% and defend my Asian Games title," Chopra told reporters.
"A little bit of groin issue is still there, it happened last year also. I was feeling better but it happened again. I have to take care of this very well and then prepare for the Paris Olympics. This kind of thing happens for athletes who compete at the top level," he said.
The 25-year-old javelin thrower had suffered a groin injury (adductor muscles) while training abroad in between his two Diamond League titles in Doha (May) and Lausanne (June 30). He missed action for one month and skipped three top competitions.
Along with Neeraj Chopra, Kishore Jena will also be in action in the javelin throw event. In August this year, Jena became the first athlete from Odisha to represent India at the finals of the World Athletics Championship.
He finished a creditable fifth in the javelin throw final at the World Championships in Budapest and achieved a personal best with a throw covering a distance of 84.77 metres.
Here's how you can watch both the athletes live on Wednesday:
Neeraj Chopra Javelin Throw Event Time
Men's javelin throw final event at the Asian Games 2023 where Neeraj Chopra will compete starts at 4:35 PM IST.
Neeraj Chopra Asian Games 2023 Javelin Throw Live Telecast
Sony Sports Network in India will broadcast the Asian Games 2023 men's javelin throw final event live.
Neeraj Chopra Asian Games 2023 Javelin Throw Live Streaming
Neeraj Chopra's javelin throw event will be live streamed on the SonyLiv app and website in India.
Asian Games 2023: India's Medal Tally
At the time of publishing the article, the Indian contingent on Wednesday registered its best-ever medal haul at the Asian Games by going past the previous edition's tally of 70.
India's previous-best medal haul had come at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, when the country's athletes returned with 70 medals, including 16 gold, 23 silver and 31 bronze.
Indian race walkers Manju Rani and Ram Baboo fetched a bronze medal in the 35km mixed race walk event early on Wednesday to help India match the 2018 Jakarta Games' performance.
Compound archers Ojas Deotale and Jyothi Surekha Vennam then grabbed India's 71st medal when they won the mixed team gold medal.
(With PTI inputs)
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