New Delhi: Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will compete in India for the first time after his successful stint in the Tokyo Olympics where he won the coveted gold medal. He confirmed his participation in the upcoming National Federation Cup (NFC) to be held in Bhubaneswar from May 12 to 15.
Neeraj is currently eyeing to emerge triumphant in the first leg of the prestigious Diamond League series and is expected to return to India after the tournament. His compatriot, the 28-year-old Kishore Jena, who won a silver in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games where Chopra won gold, will also be competing in the Doha Diamond League, starting from May 10.
"As per entries @Neeraj_chopra1 and Kishore Kumar Jena will compete in domestic competition starting May 12 in Bhubaneshwar," the Athletics Federation of India said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Neeraj Chopra's coach Klaus Bartonietz also confirmed to the news agency PTI that his ward is taking part in the Bhubaneswar event. He achieved new heights of success with a historic gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, became Diamond League champion in 2022, world champion in 2023 and defended Asian Games gold in China last year.
Previously, Neeraj won three individual legs of the prestigious Diamond League series and claimed a silver in the 2022 World Championships. His personal best and the national record is 89.94m. However, he is yet to cross the 90m mark.
He confirmed his Olympic title defence by successfully breaching the Paris 2024 entry standard in the qualifying round of the Budapest World Championships last year before creating history in the final, becoming the first senior Indian athletics world champion in history. (With agency inputs)
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