Why is Neeraj Chopra not competing at Asian Games 2026?
Dubai: Neeraj Chopra will not compete at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, leaving India without its biggest name in the men’s javelin throw. Chopra was initially selected for the Games and was expected to defend the Asian Games title he won in Hangzhou in 2023. However, his campaign came to an end after he suffered an ankle ligament injury during a training session following the Lausanne…
Neeraj Chopra will not participate in the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, India will be without its top javelin thrower. He had been set to defend the title he won in Hangzhou in 2023. However, an ankle injury sustained during training following the Lausanne Diamond League forced him to withdraw from the Games. This injury also ended his participation for the remainder of the 2026 season.
Consequently, Chopra will miss the chance to add to his collection of Asian Games gold medals. He previously won the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games and retained his title in Hangzhou. Chopra is also an Olympic medalist, having secured gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and silver at Paris 2024. He is the first Indian track-and-field athlete to achieve this feat and remains one of India's most successful athletes.
In his place, India will send Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh to compete in the men’s javelin event. Rohit enters the competition with a personal best of 87.68 meters, while Yash Vir recorded 85.41 meters. Both were included in India’s final athletics squad following Chopra’s withdrawal. Despite Chopra’s absence, India will still have two athletes aiming to retain the javelin title.
The qualification for the men’s Javelin throw event begins on September 26, with the final scheduled for the 28th.
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