The 19-year-old athlete is seen as a big competitor for Chopra, who will defend his Tokyo Games gold medal in Paris. Local favorite Oliver Helander, who defeated Chopra in the 2022 edition of the one-day competition, will also be competing.
Chopra won a silver medal in 2022 with a throw of 89.30m, his personal best at the time. He later improved this to 89.94m at the Stockholm leg of the Diamond League the same year. Two-time world champion Anderson Peters from Grenada and 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott from Trinidad and Tobago will also compete.
— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) May 26, 2024
Chopra withdrew from last month’s Ostrava Golden Spike as a precaution after feeling discomfort in his adductor muscles (inner thigh muscles). He started his season at the Doha Diamond League in May, finishing second with a final throw of 88.36m, his ninth-best mark.
Jakub Vadlejch, who beat Chopra in the Doha Diamond League, will not be competing here. Chopra also participated in the National Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, where he won the gold medal with a throw of 82.27m.
After the Paavo Nurmi Games, Chopra will compete in the Paris Diamond League on July 7. He has chosen to skip the National Inter-State Athletics in Panchkula, scheduled for June 27, to avoid a hectic schedule before the Olympics.
Chopra said, “Further competition schedule will be decided later according to the situation and my body. Otherwise, I will go to Paris from there (after competing in Turku),” after the Federation Cup.
