Locked out of competitions, India's track and field athletes losing ground
Neeraj Chopra in action at the 2018 Asian Games, where he won gold.
AP Photo/Lee Jin-man
On Tuesday this week, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra posted a short video clip of a practice session on his Instagram page. "86.26, 86.87, 87.25, 84.90 First time over 85 in training" is the caption of the six-second clip. The throws made at the National Institute of Sport in Patiala are particularly promising since the Indian says he has always thrown further in competition. But he doesn't look like he's getting any of that any time soon.
While Chopra has no option for now but to be satisfied with his training throws in an empty field, the rest of the world's throwers are heading back to full competition mode. India's struggle with the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that even with a little over two months to go to the Tokyo Olympics, the country's athletes are struggling to get crucial competition.