Eight years on, Neeraj Chopra returns where it all began

Neeraj Chopra returns to the Commonwealth Games, challenging strong rivals amid injury concerns, aiming for consistency in tough conditions.

New Delhi: Eight years after he first competed at the Commonwealth Games (CWG), Neeraj Chopra returns to the stage that launched him into the international limelight. Coming into that 2018 edition in Gold Coast, Chopra’s only international successes were at the U-20 World Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland (2016) and the Asian Championships in Bhubaneswar (2017). The then 20-year-old long-haired tyro won the competition comfortably and unlocked a career no other Indian athlete has had.

Indian javelin throw superstar Neeraj Chopra. (PTI)

Unheralded then, Chopra is now a