Is Neeraj Chopra Fit For Battle With Arshad Nadeem? Chief Athletics Coach Gives Big Update

Published 25 July 2026 · sports

Is Neeraj Chopra Fit For Battle With Arshad Nadeem? Chief Athletics Coach Gives Big Update Published By, Last Updated: July 25, 2026, 23:01 IST Neeraj

Is Neeraj Chopra Fit For Battle With Arshad Nadeem? Chief Athletics Coach Gives Big Update Published By, Last Updated: July 25, 2026, 23:01 IST Neeraj Chopra is fit and ready for Commonwealth Games, aiming for gold. Coach Radhakrishnan Nair confirms his top form. Rapid Read Neeraj Chopra (AFP) Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra is fully fit and is raring to go at the Commonwealth Games, chief athletics coach Radhakrishnan Nair has confirmed, affirming that the star athlete will go full throttle to lead India’s athletics contingent at the ongoing event. Chopra, who clinched gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, with a throw of 86.47m, missed the 2022 edition because of an injury.

Chopra suffered a lower back injury ahead of the World Championships in September and has featured in only one event this season, the Doha Diamond League last month, where he finished fourth with a throw of 85.69m. “Chopra is in perfect shape physically. I haven’t seen him so good in a long time. He is very confident and we can expect a very good performance from him," Nair said while speaking to PTI. “I need not tell you the colour of the medal, but he is very confident of doing his best," Nair added. Chopra reached Glasgow on Friday. Chopra will face a difficult battle for the gold medal, with Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, Grenada’s Anderson Peters and Pakistan’s defending champion and Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem also in contention.

India’s Rohit Yadav, who produced an 87.05m throw in June, will also be in medal contention if he can replicate that performance. The men’s javelin throw qualifying round will be on July 30 and the final will be held the next day. Nair predicted that the 32-member Indian contingent will go past its medal tally from the 2022 Birmingham Games, where the team won eight medals (one gold, four silver and three bronze). Nair also backed the team to bag more gold medals than it did in Birmingham. “We will do better than in Birmingham and win more medals this time. Moreover, we are hoping to win two or three gold medals, though I cannot tell from which events we will do it," Nair said.

News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: July 25, 2026, 22:57 IST News sports other-sports Is Neeraj Chopra Fit For Battle With Arshad Nadeem? Chief Athletics Coach Gives Big Update Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...