Neeraj Chopra ruled out of 2026 Asian Games after ankle ligament injury

Neeraj Chopra will miss the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan (September 19 to October 4), after sustaining a ligament tear in his ankle during training following his appearance at the Lausanne Diamond League in August. The reigning Asian Games men’s javelin champion and a two-time Olympic medallist confirmed he will sit out the remainder of the season.

India have named a 508-member contingent for the Aichi-Nagoya Games and are aiming to improve on their 106-medal haul from Hangzhou 2022; Chopra’s absence removes the defending gold medallist from the men’s javelin competition. After a period of downturn in form due to injury, Chopra had recorded a season-best throw of 88.05m but saw his campaign curtailed by the ankle injury.

Chopra confirmed the update on social media, writing: "After a period of hard work, I finally felt I was gaining the momentum I had been looking for with a Season’s Best throw in Lausanne. Unfortunately, shortly after, I sustained a ligament tear in my ankle during training," Chopra wrote. "After discussions with my doctor and team, we’ve decided that I will sit out the rest of this season. "My focus now is on recovering well and coming back even stronger."

He did not take part in the Diamond League Final in Brussels on September 5 and missed the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest on September 13 following the injury.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) said Chopra had asked the federation "to give his place to another athlete so that India’s javelin remains represented on the continent’s biggest stage." As a result, Chopra was replaced in India’s athletics squad by Yash Vir Singh.

Yash Vir Singh won bronze at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow with a personal-best throw of 85.41m and will be joined by Rohit Yadav in India’s javelin line-up for the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

Yash Vir Singh and Rohit Yadav will represent India in the men’s javelin event at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, which run from September 19 to October 4.