The expectations and anticipation will soar around this year’s Federation Cup. Neeraj Chopra, the reigning Olympic and world champion in javelin throw, confirmed his participation in the 12-15 event in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Inspire Institute of Sports, which manages the athlete, revealed the news on social media platform X.
“Neeraj Chopra adds the 27th Federation Cup, in Odisha, to his 2024 competition calendar. India, your Golden boy’s coming home!” the post stated.
Neeraj will open his season at the Doha Diamond League on May 10 with an aim to reclaim the Diamond League first place. Neeraj won the Diamond League in 2022.
Kishore Kumar Jena, who won the silver medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year, will also open his season at the Doha Diamond League.
Neeraj enjoyed a stellar season last year, winning the World Championships gold in Hungary and qualifying for the Paris Olympics.
However, the 26-year-old has been out of competition since defending his continental gold medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in October 2023.
Focus on preparation for Paris 2024
Neeraj is now focused on his preparation for the Paris Olympics. The Federation Cup will provide him with a solid competition with India’s top throwers including local hero Jena, who sealed his Paris Olympics berth at the Asian Games last year, likely to compete at the event.
All set for a spectacle!
Along with Jena, DP Manu and Shivpal Singh are also expected to compete at the Federation Cup, making the javelin throw at the event a strong field.
With Manu and Shivpal throwing their season-best marks of 81.91m and 80.47m in 2024, the javelin throw event in Bhubaneswar will be under the spotlight.
Earlier this year, Neeraj also planned to compete at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, scheduled for June 18.
Last year, Neeraj won India’s maiden World Championships gold in Budapest with a throw of 88.17m. At the Asian Games, he won the gold medal with an 88.88m throw.
Neeraj, however, is yet to achieve the 90m mark. Last year at the Stockholm Diamond League, he came close to achieving the 90m mark but fell short of the mark by 6cm.