Neeraj fights through pain

India’s javelin superstar Chopra misses Diamond League crown by 1 cm to finish runner-up for second consecutive year with throw of 87.86m; reveals he competed despite fracture in non-throwing left hand

Double Olympic medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Sunday revealed that he took part in the Diamond League season finale here despite a fracture in his non-throwing left hand which he sustained during a training session.

On Saturday, Chopra came agonisingly close to winning the Diamond League crown before missing it by a single centimetre to finish as runner-up for the second consecutive year with a throw of 87.86m here.

The x-ray that shows a fracture on the fourth metacarpal in Neeraj Chopra’s left hand

“On Monday, I injured myself in practice and x-rays 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 26-year-old said on his social media handle.

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Metacarpals, also known as palm bones, are the bones that lie between the fingers and the wrist in a human hand. There are five metacarpals in each hand, with each bone being associated with a specific finger.

Lost to Anderson Peters 

Chopra, who throws with his right hand, was beaten for the gold by two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada who sent his spear to 87.87m in his first attempt. This was Chopra’s second consecutive Diamond League runner-up finish after winning the crown in 2022.

He 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 palm.

Struggling with groin injury

The 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 mark.

This hand injury is a new one and he did not elaborate much on it. This fracture may need a few months to heal.

Chopra, 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 high.

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