Neeraj Chopra confirms his participation at Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar

Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has confirmed his participation in the National Federation Cup to be held in Bhubaneswar from May 12 to 15. This is the first time in the last three years that the star athlete will be participating in the domestic competition. Chopra's coach Klaus Bartonietz also confirmed his participation in the Federation Cup to PTI. The 26-year-old player is likely to arrive in India after starting his season on May 10 in the first leg of the prestigious Diamond League series in Doha.

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Neeraj Chopra confirms his participation at Federation Cup

"Neeraj Chopra adds the 27th Federation Cup, in Odisha, to his 2024 competition calendar. India, your Golden boy’s coming home!" Inspire Institute of Sports tweeted. 

Meanwhile, 28-year-old Kishore Kumar Jena, who finished second behind Chopra and won a silver medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games, will also participate in the Doha Diamond League on May 10. 

"As per entries @Neeraj_chopra1 and Kishore Kumar Jena will compete in domestic competition starting May 12 in Bhubaneshwar," the AFI wrote on X. 

Chopra had last participated in the domestic competition on March 17, 2021, and had won the gold medal by throwing the javelin 87.80m. 

After this, Chopra won a historic gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics 2021. He became the Diamond League champion in 2022 and world champion in 2023. He also defended his title at the Asian Games in China.

Chopra, meanwhile, also won three individual stages of the Diamond League and secured a silver medal at the World Championships in 2022.

However, Neeraj Chopra has so far failed to touch the distance of 90m. His personal best performance is 89.94m which is also a national record.

Also Read: 'I will try to breach the 90m mark before Paris Olympics': Neeraj Chopra aims to retain his Olympic gold in Paris

Neeraj Chopra is now focused on his preparation for the Paris Olympics 2024. The Federation Cup will provide him with solid competition.

On the other hand, along with Chopra and Jena, DP Manu and Shivpal Singh are also expected to compete at the Federation Cup.