Hello and welcome to Sportz Point's LIVE Coverage of the Paris Olympics 2024. Today, we will bring you all the updates of Day 3 (29th July). Nineteen medals are due to be handed out on Day 3 of Paris 2024.
This is Abishek Goswami, Koushik Biswas will join us later to give you all the updates on Day 2 from our web desk.
Swimming | Mollie O'Callaghan breaks Olympic record to win Gold in women's 200m freestyle
Australia's Mollie O'Callaghan breaks her teammate, defending Olympic and World Champion Ariarne Titmus's Olympic record to win Gold in women's 200m freestyle. She stuns the world with the timing of 1:53.27.
🥇Mollie O'Callaghan 1:53.27
🥈 Ariarne Titmus 1:53.81
🥉Siobhán Haughey 1:54.55.
Jul 29, 2024, 6:12 PM
Men's street skateboarding: Yuto Horigome wins gold
Yuto Horigome successfully defends his Gold medal in men's street skateboarding with some late heroics. He was seventh before his final trick and won the Gold at the end with 281.14 points.
Jul 29, 2024, 2:16 PM
Tennis: Djokovic beats Nadal in straight sets
Djokovic won 6-1 6-4 and this might be the last time we saw Rafael Nadal at his favourite The Philippe Chatrier. Djokovic moves to thrid round while Nadal will focus on Men's doubles now.
Jul 29, 2024, 10:54 AM
Shooting: China's Sheng Lihao grabs Gold with an Olympic record
Sheng Lihao wins the Men's 10m Rifle event with an Olympic record of 252.2.
Victor Lindgren, the World Champion collects the Silver medal in his debut Olympics. Miran Maricic wins Croatia's first medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 with a Bronze medal finish.
Shooting: Ban Hyojin equals Olympic record to win Gold in women's 10m air rifle
Ban, 16, who is still who's still studying at high school, beats Huang Yuting of China in a shoot-off to win the Gold in the Women's 10m Air Rifle final and equals the Olympic record set by Yang Qian in Tokyo.
India's Ramita Jindal finished seventh in the finals.
Jul 29, 2024, 8:46 AM
Shooting: Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh qualify for the bronze medal match
Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh qualified for the bronze medal match of the 10m air pistol mixed team event with 580 points. Bhaker scored 291 and Sarabjot scored 289. They will face Korea in the Bronze medal match tomorrow from 1pm IST.
Jul 29, 2024, 7:23 AM
Badminton: Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto in action in Women's doubles
Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto are in action in Women's Doubles against Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida of Japan.
Jul 29, 2024, 7:21 AM
Shooting:
Rhythm Sangwan and Arjun Singh are shooting in firing points 30 & 31 while Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh are at firing points 31 and 22.
Jul 29, 2024, 7:17 AM
Shooting: Reminder for Indian fans
Just a reminder, India have the Qualification world record of 587 set in Osijek in 2021.
India also have the Qualification Olympic record 582 set in Tokyo Olympics.
Jul 29, 2024, 7:06 AM
Shooting: Bhaker will be in action in 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team Qualification
Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh; Rhythm Sangwan and Arjun Singh Cheema will be in action from 12.45 pm IST in 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team Qualification.
Jul 29, 2024, 6:58 AM
Badminton: Satwik-Chirag's match is cancelled
Today's scheduled match of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty was cancelled as their German opponents have withdrawn from the tournament because of injury.
The Indian pair will take on the Indonesian duo of Fajr and Rian tomorrow at 5.30 pm IST.
Jul 29, 2024, 3:20 AM
Léon Marchand broke Michael Phelps' 16-year-old Olympic record on Day 2
Léon Marchand broke the men's 400m individual medley Olympic record with a timing of 4:02.95. He broke Michael Phelps' previous Olympic record of 4:03.84, set at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Jul 29, 2024, 3:17 AM
Indian athletes on Day 2
PV Sindhu won in straight sets in Women's Singles 🏸
Ramita Jindal qualified for Women's 10m Air Rifle final 🔫
Balraj Panwar qualified for the Men's sculls quarter-finals 🚣♂️
Arjun Babuta qualified for the Men's 10m Air Rifle final 🔫
Historic Bronze medal by Manu Bhaker in Women's 10m Air Pistol 🔫🥉
Sreeja Akula won in straight sets againstChristina Källberg in the Women's singles round of 64 🏓
Sharath Kamal lost against Deni Kožul by 2-4 in Men's Singles round of 64 🏓
Manika Batra defeated Great Britain's Anna Hursey 4-1 in the Women's singles round of 64 🏓
Dhinidhi Desinghu finished at the top in the women's 200m Freestyle Heat with a timing of 2:06.96. 🏊♀️
Indian Women's team lost to the Netherlands in team event quarter-final 🏹
Sumit Nagal lost against Corentin Moutet by 2-6, 6-2, 5-7 in Men's singles 🎾
Mondo Duplantis: 11 times the pole vaulter broke the World Record
Mondo Duplantis, the Swedish legendary pole vaulter, broke the men's world record for the 11th time on February 28th, 2025, at the All Star Perche event in Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, popularly known as 'Mondo' Duplantis, has broken the men's pole vaulting World Record for the 11th time, a record which he previously set himself.
The 25-year-old Swedish pole vaulter improved his own men's pole vault world record to 6.27m at the All Star Perche event in Clermont-Ferrand, France on February 28th, 2025.
MONDO DUPLANTIS BREAKS THE POLE VAULT WORLD RECORD AGAIN!
This marks the 11th time Duplantis has broken the world record in his career, first achieving it in February 2020 with a height of 6.17m.
The two-time World Champion and Olympic winner secured his victory at the All Star Perche event with a height of 6.02m. Following that, Duplantis improved the clearance that he set in August 2024, by one centimeter.
"I just felt really good. What can I say, I came here to do it. I put everything in place to do it. The run-up worked really well. I just did it," Duplantis stated to the reporters after setting the world record.
However, in this article, Sportz Point will explore all the 11 times Mono Duplantis broke the World Record.
Mondo Duplantis: 11 times the pole vaulter broke the World Record
1. 2020 - 6.17m
(Image Credit | Duplantis on X)
Back in 2014, France's legendary pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie marked the world record with a clearance of 6.16m.
The record nearly stood for six years, until the 20-year-old Mondo Duplantis broke the previous record with a 6.17m height at the Orlen Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland.
This was the first time Duplantis broke the world record, previously breaking the 10-year age group record with a jump of 3.86m in 2010.
2. 2020 - 6.18m
(Image Credit | British Athletics)
Only a week after creating the World Record in Poland, Duplantis bettered his record with a 6.18m jump at the Indoor Grand Prix in Glasgow, Scotland.
Duplantis stated the following after setting new record in Glasgow;
It’s the best little split second that could ever be,
Everything builds up to that one tiny little moment. That little free-fall is a magical moment.
Breaking his own world record in a span of 15 days, Duplantis again stunned the world in 2022.
Following his 6.19m jump in the Belgrade Indoor Meeting on 7 March 2022, Duplantis promised "something higher" in the upcoming world championship.
He kept his word in the best possible way, securing a 6.20m jump at the world indoor championships on 21 March 2022 in Belgrade, Serbia.
5. 2022 - 6.21m
(Image Credit | CNN)
Mondo Duplantis clinched his first-ever outdoor world title on 24 March 2022 at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA.
Duplantis, again improved his own record and set his third world record in 2022, soaring over 6.21m, and breaking the world record for the first time in the outdoors.
Along with this record, Duplantis also surpassed Sergey Bubka, one of the greatest pole vaulters of all-time, for career six metre-plus clearances. Bubka's 46-time record was overshadowed by Duplantis' 48 after this championship.
6. 2023 - 6.22m
(Image Credit | AFP)
On 25th February 2023, Mondo Duplantis broke his own record, clearing 6.21m to win the All Star Perche 2023 event in Clermont-Ferrand, France, where he again has broken the record in 2025.
Duplantis was congratulated by Renaud Lavillenie after the win, whose record he first broke back in 2020 and who is a co-founder of the All Star Perche event.
Duplantis broke the world record for the seventh time following his 6.23m clearance to win the 2023 Diamond League Final in Eugene on 17 September 2023.
🚨 WORLD RECORD🚨@mondohoss600 clears 6.23m at the first attempt to claim his 3rd successive #DiamondLeague title 🤯
Duplantis opened his 2024 season in style, soaring 6.24m to set the world record for outdoors at the Diamond League eventin Xiamen, China.
The Swedish pole vaulter registered the highest clearance in history to add 1cm to the record he had set in Eugene, USA in 2023.
💬"It was my first time jumping here in China, and I was really just trying to enjoy the moment. It's people that I really want to show what I can do." - Says #Duplantis after elevating his world pole vault record to a new high of 6.24m at Diamond League in Xiamen. #XiamenDLpic.twitter.com/Uqt8g3x8mb
Duplantis retained his Olympic Gold medal title in the 2024 Paris Olympics, breaking his own record to register a 6.25m clearance.
The 25-year-old became the first athlete to retain the pole vault title, since American pole vaulter Bob Richards achieved the remarkable feat in 1952 and 1956.
For the second time in his career, Mondo Duplantis shattered the world record three times in a calendar year in 2024.
Following the record he set at the Paris Olympics 2024, Duplantis bettered it by 1cm to soar over 6.26m at the Silesia Diamond League in Poland on 25 August 2024.
He also broke his world record for the third time in the outdoor season and for the tenth time in his career.
11. 2025 - 6.27m (Clermont-Ferrand, France)
(Image Credit | Reuters)
As the latest world record, Mondo Duplantis has broken the world record for a record 11th time in his career, to set a new high of 6.27m on 28 February 2025 at the All-Star Perche Event in Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Here is the moment Mondo Duplantis broke the World Record in the Pole Vault with 6.27m in France!!🤯🤯
AI in Sports: How It's Changing Player Performance & Fan Experience
The introduction of Artificial Intelligence or AI in sports is rapidly growing as it is revolutionizing the experience for both fans and players, bringing significant changes for greater communication.
Artificial Intelligence has been improving the sports we watch and analyze for nearly the past 20 years, but the latest generation of ultra-modern AI tools is revolutionizing every aspect of sports, from improving player and team performances to ensuring safety along with fan engagement and the experiences.
AI can process and store large amounts of data, which allows us to gain insights that we couldn't see before. This capability is at the center of the revolution. For the players, this brings improved strategies, varied training methods, and a significantly lower risk of injury.
The fans enjoy a whole new level of engagement in the game, thanks to Al-powered platforms providing content tailored to them, such as virtual reality experiences and more.
The massive impact of AI in the Sports Industry
Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing the Sports Industry rapidly by offering solutions to common problems such as individual performance, tactical requirements, injuries and recoveries, variations in training, etc.
The capacity of AI and GenAI tools to analyze complex data and provide instant insights is ushering in a new era of athletic performance and fan engagement as well.
From predictive analytics that improve player safety and performance to AI-powered viewing experiences for fans, the influence of artificial intelligence is setting the bar higher across the industry.
1. Player and team performance
(Image Credit | Markovate)
GenAI can analyze team and player behavior to reach conclusions that would contribute to improved training and coaching. For example, they can monitor and analyze the movements of players with computer vision.
In this way, they can assess whether an athlete is moving wrongly or could be injured. Machine learning algorithms can watch game videos to identify patterns of the opposing team. Sports coaches can be made to develop wiser game plans and strategies by artificial intelligence.
Some techniques, including motion tracking and motion analysis, can capture changes in the posture, movement, or technique of a player that indicte fatigue or poor motor control.
According to a study by Grand View Research, the sports analytics market size was valued at $1.9 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $5.2 billion by 2028, showcasing the rapid growth and demand for advanced analytics tools in sports.
The following two tools are widely applicable to player and team analysis:
SportVU: This system tracks detailed player and ball motion in a game with computer vision and machine learning. It can analyze shot mechanics, accelerations and decelerations, speed, and distance.
KINEXON: This system tracks positional and motion data in real-time by equipping players with sensors.
2. Injury Prediction and Prevention
(Image Credit | Sportsmith)
Injuries occur regularly in professional sports. Identifying and preventing injuries before they even occur is likely one of the most thrilling applications of AI.
Teams can utilize AI algorithms to monitor an individual's motion as they move their joints and strain their muscles. It can search for patterns or instabilities that signify an injury before the symptoms themselves appear.
AI can recognize a slight deviation in the amount of strain a soccer player puts on their knee joint and warn the coaches or medical staff. Way before the injury became acute enough to cause the player to miss games, the team could either give them rest or do exercises to help them recover.
A report by MarketsandMarkets estimates that the global sports medicine market, which incorporates AI-driven health monitoring solutions, is projected to reach $9.3 billion by 2026, underlining the significant role of AI in athlete well-being.
The following two tools could be used in the AI-powered prediction and prevention of injuries:
Sparta Science: It uses computer vision and motion sensing in analyzing movement patterns of an athlete. Based on motion data, biomechanical deficiencies, and especially risks of increased injury, machine learning models are able to identify those.
Zone 7: It measures injury risk using factors such as workload, degree of fatigue, and others through artificial intelligence and research in sports science. Their methods take age, position, body composition, and medical history into account.
3. Training Through AI-Powered Analytics and Wearables
(Image Credit | Sports Tomorrow)
Smartwatches and fitness trackers are examples of wearable technology that have become essential for tracking many of the parameters mentioned earlier.
Wearable GPS devices that can track athletes' speed and location, overall distance traveled, and movement patterns are available to provide relevant information.
Wearable heart rate monitors use optical sensors to measure blood flow in real-time, tracking the heart rate. This is an important aspect of monitoring heart health, fitness levels, and recovery. It also helps in tracking blood oxygen levels, which is another important component of modern-day fitness trackers. They use optical sensors to track the oxygen saturation level of blood.
Since the 2010s, Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), such as GPS tracking vests, have been commonly used in professional sports. Such vests are offered with discrete and effective GPS tracking and sensors located on the back and shoulders; they are typically worn as tank tops.
In football and rugby, the vest is mainly utilized to track the location and movement of a player and, thereby, report strengths and weaknesses.
4. Sports Commentary and Reporting
Sports commentary and reporting can automatically be generated from match events and live data by employing natural language processing(NLP) methods like GPT-3. Artificially intelligent commentary not only comments on a strategy but also summarizes the critical events of match play.
Similarly, GenAI can create such highlights, summaries, and post-match data reportage for viewing audiences as well.
NLP methods can make the commentary more dramatic and interesting by taking into account the game statistics and situations in real-time data. With the use of generated personalities and tones, it is possible to accommodate various fan interests in the coverage.
Automated GenAI reporting enhances sports coverage and commentary without losing interesting and captivating stories.
5. Sports Officiating
(Image Credit | Griffon Webstudios)
The use of AI in sports officiating is not without controversy, including traditional backlash and concerns regarding technology's influence on the game. Yet, the improvements it introduces, such as real-time analysis and decision support, are dramatically enhancing the accuracy and fairness of officiating.
Its capabilities to review plays from multiple angles and analyze them in seconds are proving invaluable in high-level games where every call matters.
Despite initial doubts, the use of AI in officiating is increasingly being accepted, with many seeing its potential to eliminate human error and ensure a level playing field.
As the technology improves and its uses extend, its role in assisting fair play and accuracy in sports is poised to increase, ushering in a new era in the use of technology and sportsmanship.
6. Player Scouting
(Image Credit | Intuz)
Team owners are using artificial intelligence to review the performance of the players. To determine the most skilled people to invest in, they use data analysis using artificial intelligence. It takes millions of dollars to find talent in the sports world.
So, team owners would like to ensure that scouting one player is the best decision. Artificial intelligence is used widely in scouting players for any sport, be it cricket, football, or basketball.
AI-powered Change in Fan Engagement and Experiences
1. Personalized Fan Engagement
To provide customised fan experiences, GenAI algorithms can model the preferences and behaviours of audiences. Sports teams and broadcasters can use these insights to optimize engagement across media channels.
For example, social media platforms can deliver tailored video highlights, personalized promotions, and AI-recommended content to resonate with each fan.
The NBA revealed 'NB-AI', allowing fans to activate "movie mode" and watch live games animated like popular films, such as Spider-Man
Based on their past interactions and activities, the Generative AI identifies what content types, sports stats, and topics each fan finds most appealing. It creates and sends personalized content for each person. This level of customization, enabled by GenAI in sports, helps sports organizations connect more deeply with their audiences.
2. Viewing Experiences
GenAI can process live video to generate augmented reality (AR) overlays and graphics that enhance broadcasts or live streams.
For example, shot trajectories, real-time player stats, and situational analysis can be visualized and overlaid onto the gameplay footage. For virtual reality (VR), GenAI can create real-world simulated environments for an immersive in-game perspective.
The key innovation is using Generative AI to dynamically generate and adapt AR/VR overlays and environments on the fly, customized to each moment. As the narrative and action of the game shift, the GenAI-powered augmented experiences shift with them, elevating viewing to multidimensional engagement.
A survey conducted by PwC found that 65% of sports fans are interested in using AR or virtual reality (VR) devices to watch sports, indicating a growing appetite for immersive experiences enabled by AI-driven technologies.
Conclusion
AI collaboration with sports is making the place safer as well as fairer. Predictive modeling and algorithms in AI are becoming a must for injury prevention. AI guarantees that more accuracy and fairness can be introduced in the outcome of a game by enhancing officiating. Both the aspects of performance and integrity are vital components in ensuring the prosperity and popularity of sports continue.
The impact of AI reaches sports journalism, advertising, and the creation of next-gen sports equipment, beyond the field or court. These innovations create new revenue streams and provide more exciting ways for fans to engage with their beloved sports and teams.
In this sense, artificial intelligence in the sports field could be said to be, by itself, a change not only for the athletes or for the coaches but for the sports system in general. With AI, the sports of the future could easily be foreseen because technology would harmoniously mix with manly athleticism at its highest levels.
Beatrice Chebet becomes the first woman to run 5km under 14 minutes in Barcelona
Beatrice Chebet, the double Olympic gold medallist from Paris 2024, ran 13:54 in the Cursa dels Nassos, becoming the first woman to run 5km under 14 minutes.
Beatrice Chebet, the double Olympic gold medallist from Paris 2024, ran 13:54 in the Cursa dels Nassos, Barcelona, becoming the first woman to run 5km under 14 minutes on the last day of 2024.
The distance runner from Kenya had set a record of 14:13 exactly 12 months ago in the Cursa dels Nassos. But, this time, she broke her own record as she clocked 13:54 on Tuesday (31st December).
Chebet started the run at the same time as the men's and finished only 26 seconds behind the men's winner Matthew Kipkoech, another Kenyan distance runner. Chebet finished 14th overall.
Meantime, women's runner-up 19-year-old Ethiopian Medina Eisa broke the U-20 World record by clocking a timing of 14:23.
Chebet after breaking the 10000m World Record in May, 2024. Image | Getty Images
Chebet had a stunning 2024, breaking multiple records on the track. Here are some records she broke in 2024 before breaking this record.
On 25th May, she became the first woman to run 10,000m in under 29 minutes at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. She broke the 10000m World record by clocking 28:54.
Chebet won the Olympic 5,000m gold medal in Paris, beating Faith Kipyegon to the line with a winning time of 14:28.56.
She then won the Olympic 10,000m gold medal in Paris with a time of 30:43.25
World Athletics' new shoe rule: how will it impact athletes' performance?
World Athletics will enforce a 20mm sole limit for track shoes from Nov 1, 2024, aiming for fairness but sparking debate over its impact on performance.
World Athletics has earlier announced that athletes should wear shoes with a uniform 20-millimeter sole thickness limit for all events. This rule will come into action on November 1st, 2024, marking a notable change in the actions of the athletes.
This rule has been induced to welcome fairness in the game. However, this has sparked controversies. While many athletes have accepted it, some are still in dilemmas about the rule.
Well, let's look at how the rule will impact the performance. However, for now, let's look at the present thickness.
Current Shoe Sole Thickness Rules in Athletics
Presently, there is no such uniformity of sole thickness. Thickness normally varies according to the events in which the athletes participate.
Suppose, in events where an athlete will have run more than 800 meters, shoes are allowed to have a sole up to 25 mm. However, when it comes to shorter distances, the maximum thickness has been limited to 20 mm.
For field events, including the high jump, athletes have a 20mm limit. But for the triple jump, athletes are allowed to wear shoes with soles up to 25mm.
These rules were implemented in January 2022, based on the technological advancements in shoes. However, from 1st November this year, there will be no distinction in sole thickness in different events.
Point to be noted: the rules for road events like marathons and race walks, which permit a 40mm sole thickness, will remain unchanged.
Why is World Athletics enforcing a 20mm sole limit?
The main motto of World Athletics is to ensure fairness. As a result of this, the federation has decided to apply the rule of a uniform 20mm limit to the sole.
In recent years, advances in shoe technology—particularly with thicker soles and carbon fiberplates—have sparked debates about whether these shoes offer athletes some unfair advantage.
Thus, World Athletics created its own Working Group on Athletic Shoes in 2020. The main task of this group is to analyze the impact of shoe technology on performance. They also draftregulations, ensuring that athletes are focusing more on skills and not technology.
The new rule was announced well in advance to give shoe manufacturers ample time to adapt their designs.
Athletes' Reactions to the 20mm Rule Change
Top athletes have had mixed reactions to the upcoming rule. Joshua Cheptegei, the Olympic and World Champion in the 10,000 meters, supports the change, describing it as "for the benefit of the sport."
He added that the thinner soles won’t necessarily lead to slower times, emphasizing that performance is often influenced by an athlete's mindset. Cheptegei also noted that recent shoe technology has aided recovery between training sessions, which could be impacted by the new regulations.
Meanwhile, Muktar Edris, a former two-time 5,000m World Champion, said that a thicker sole helps the athletes, providing them extra "energy" and "push." A reduced sole may hamper a regular action.
The Controversy Surrounding Shoe Technology
The controversy regarding shoe technology is nothing new. Before 2022, the track spikes had soles with thicknesses up to 30 mm.
During the Tokyo Olympics, legendary sprinter Usain Bolt brought this issue to the public, citing the unfair advantage an athlete may receive due to thicker boots. Not only that, but with the increased use of technologically advanced shoes, world records that looked unbreakable are at stake.
Karsten Warholm, the one who holds the World Record in 400m hurdles, also expressed his concern. After winning the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics, he questioned the boots of the runner-up, Rai Benjamin.
Warholm made serious claims that Benjamin used thicker Nike soles that provided the later an unfair advantage. Warholm's remarks not only concerned the federation but drew attention to the fine line between technological innovation and "technological doping."
The Impact of Shoe Technology on Performance
Eliud Kipchoge, the first athlete who broke the two-hour marathon barrier in 2019, sparked controversies at his time as well. He used the Nike Alphafly, which featured thick soles and carbon plates. However, the nature of the event didn't let that record count.
Later, World Athletics introduced a rule. It required the new shoes to be in the open market for at least four months prior to the competition. This rule also aspired to thwart athletes with exclusive shoe deals from gaining an unfair advantage.
Will the 20mm sole limit affect athlete performance?
It is not exactly negative, but the athletes will solely depend on their physical abilities and techniques. Yes, a few athletes do consider this to hurt their performance, but just like Cheptegei mentioned, mental resilience and training will play a crucial role in breaking records or achieving personal bests (PB).
Well, a reduced cushion in the sole will demand more energy from the athlete. Thus, athletes need to adjust their training regimes to adapt to the new rules.
World Athletics had mentioned clearly that they want to promote uniformity. They want the athletes to rely on their power and skills, not some technology beneath their feet, that will change and evolve with time.
However, with shoe manufacturers rushing to adapt their designs, the real test will come when athletes compete under the new regulations in 2024.
NEERAJ CHOPRA INJURY: A SAGA OF STRAIN, TECHNIQUE, AND RECOVERY
Neeraj Chopra had his previous groin injury, and has now fractured his hand while practicing, at the Brussels. He took his social media accounts to inform that the Diamond League will be last competition for the year.
The art of javelin throw is a perfect balance of both technique and power. And Neeraj Chopra, who relies mostly on technique, is struggling due to his recurring groin injury With a jam-packed schedule since the last year, he "ignored" the pain, for the sake of participation. However, with a clear window till mid-2025, it is high time for the 2024 Paris Olympics Silver medallist to undergo the required treatment. Additionally, he fractured his hand while practising, during the Brussels Diamond League, thus calling off, for this year, at least.
The Groin Injury: An Unseen Strain Troubling Neeraj Chopra
In 2018, Neeraj Chopra got an inury in his erector muscles which was healed. However, it has resurfaced since last year, at Bhubaneshwar, at the middle of June.
Chopra's physio Ishan Marwah, has been monitoring him closely. he explained the injury in Layman terms- the erector muscles are directly connected to the pelvic bones. Thus the injury is giving strain to the muscles, hampering his normal run up, followed by this throw.
In the most ideal situation, Neeraj would like to increase the speed of his run- up. This needs quicker movement of his right leg and hips. However, the strain is preventing him from doing so, leading to a compromised throwing technique. His block leg, i.e., the left leg, is crucial for delivering power in the final phase of the throw. But with the injury lingering, he’s unable to fully complete that movement. What looks like his signature fall after each throw, is nothing but a visual representation of his technical failures.
Neeraj Chopra crashed on the grown while completeing his first throw, which was a foul, at Paris Olympics Photo Courtesy: Olympics
Technical Hurdles: The Cascade Effect
As mentioned earlier, javelin is a highly technical sport. The body needs to be in motion and in absolute sync. Neeraj Chopra suffering from groin injury has led to a cascading effect on his entire throwing mechanism. As Ishan explained to multiple sources, his right leg is not performing in the required way. Thus, Chopra falls more on his left, bending it slightly, which is, ideally not good for a powerful throw.
The rule books say, the perfect projectile will get the spear fall centrally or slightly to the right. However, in Chopra’s case, the javelin is turning to the left due to him falling leftward at the end of his throw. This is the major flaw he is having due to the injury.
In the last few outings, Chopra hasn’t been in his signature best form. He has an initial season best in the Olympics Qualifier itself with an impressive throw of at 89.34. He sealed the Olympics silver with 89.49 meters in the finals.
Neeraj Chopra sealed the silver medal at Paris Olympics with his season best throw of 89.49 meters
However, his signature "roar" was vividly missing.
The Chicken and Egg Situation: Neeraj Chopra Sandwiched between Injury and Technique
The groin injury has got Neeraj Chopra in a vicious cycle. The injury is hampering his daily practice routine. As per Marwah, Neeraj earlier has to have 2 to 3 sessions of practice each week. Each session has 35 to 40 throws. With the injury becoming a growing concern, Neeraj had to reduce the no of sessions, each having around 20 throws. Lack of practice is affecting his technique, which is directly causing more strain. Again, Ishan clarified that adequate training is the way to cure the strain.
Neeraj, Unlike Arshad Nadeem or the Germans, has depended more on technique and not power. He has his shoulder flexibility as his biggest pros, but with the injury in the scene, things got hampered.
Graphical representation of Neeraj Chopra's winning throw in Tokyo (up) and in Paris (down) Photo Courtesy: Olympics
However, Marwah is optimistic, hoping that proper medical advice and rehabilitation will fully recover Chopra. The latter is having the right shape, and with proper rehabilitation, he can aim to add an extra 3 to 4 meters to his throw. However, that requires adequate rest, and avoiding risks, which calls for skipping certain competitions.
Neeraj Chopra signs off for 2024, with hand injury
Soon after the Brussels Diamond League, Neeraj Chopra took to his social media handle to inform about his hand injury. He informed, that he had fractured the fourth metacarpal in his left hand during practice. He thus, is calling off his professional participation, for this year. Despite this, Chopra sealed a second position, that too by missing the 24-carat Diamond, by just a centimetre (87.86 m).
As the 2024 season ends, I look back on everything I’ve learned through the year - about improvement, setbacks, mentality and more.
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… pic.twitter.com/H8nRkUkaNM
A gold in the Tokyo Olympics has raised the expectations bar to such a level, that whiskers feel like major losses. The present air is more concerned about him touching the magic 90 m Mark, more than him recovering.
With the groin injury being a major issue, the fracture has gotten Neeraj Chopra an “added advantage” to pull off the curtain for now. As the javelin world awaits to see what comes next for him, one thing is certain: his determination, resilience, and unmatched focus will continue to push him forward. At days, it should be recovery, more than crossing 90 meters on the court.