Exactly two months before the Paris Olympics, India's top medal contender, Neeraj Chopra, has withdrawn from the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event in Ostrava, Czech Republic, due to adductor muscle stiffness. This cautious move follows a busy month where the Tokyo Olympics javelin gold medalist competed in the Doha Diamond League and Bhubaneswar Federation Cup, just four days apart.

Neeraj revealed on social media that he "felt something" in his adductor after a recent throwing session and chose not to risk further injury. “I am not injured but I don’t want to take any risk during the Olympic year, so I had to make this decision. Once I feel it’s fully recovered, I will get back to competitions,” he stated.

Manisha Malhotra of JSW Sports, which manages Chopra, attributed his withdrawal to "back-to-back competitions" and subsequent fatigue. She confirmed that Neeraj is taking a precautionary break and is scheduled to compete in the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku next month.

The decision to compete in the domestic Fed Cup, initially not on Neeraj’s schedule, followed discussions with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). He participated in lieu of the mandatory Inter-State Championships to avoid disrupting his European training schedule. Despite winning gold in Bhubaneswar with an 82.27-metre throw, Neeraj’s adductor issues surfaced post-event.

AFI’s chief national coach, Radhakrishnan Nair, confirmed the sequence of events, emphasizing the compulsory participation policy for all athletes, including Neeraj, established over two months ago.

In Doha, Neeraj secured second place with a throw of 88.36 metres, narrowly behind Czech athlete Jakub Vadlejch’s 88.38 metres. With the Paris Olympics approaching, Neeraj's focus remains on recovery and peak performance.