Anju Bobby George believes Neeraj Chopra‘s experience and pedigree will come to the fore when it matters most, backing the Indian javelin throw ace to return to his best ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth and Asian Games.
After recovering from the lower back injury he suffered ahead of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo last year, former Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra has eased his way back into competition.
Neeraj started his 2026 athletics season late at the Doha Diamond League, finishing a modest fourth with a best throw of 85.69m – a far cry from his personal best and standing national record of 90.23m achieved at the same meet a year earlier.
With little time left for the Commonwealth Games 2026, starting next month in Glasgow, and the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, in September-October, the Indian athlete will have his work cut out for him to return to his best before this year’s multi-spot meets.
Despite the uphill task, legendary long jumper Anju Bobby George sees no reason to doubt India’s most successful track and field athlete.
“Neeraj, I guess, when the competition toughness goes up, he will respond to that well. He’s an Olympic champion and a World Championship medallist,” Anju, the only other Indian to medal at the World Championships, told PTI. “I mean, that’s something no Indian has ever done. Yes, that experience will speak when the time comes.”
Anju Bobby George is India’s first medallist at the World Athletics Championships, bagging a bronze in Paris in 2003, and the only other Indian athlete, barring Neeraj, to stand on the podium at the global showpiece.
She is also a former Asian Games champion, a Commonwealth Games medallist and held the Indian women’s long jump national record for 22 years.
“Neeraj has been in the international arena for almost 10 years. We cannot tell that he is not in his great form or he is not doing well. He gave enough during his prime, still he is in his prime. He did a lot for us. Let him enjoy the game now,” Anju noted.
Chopra will head to Aichi-Nagoya as the defending Asian Games champion after claiming gold in Hangzhou in 2023. He also won gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 but skipped the Birmingham 2022 campaign with an injury.
The competition, however, is expected to be stronger this time around.
Among his biggest challengers is Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage, who breached the 90m mark earlier this year and has emerged as one of the form throwers on the circuit after winning two Diamond League titles, including the one in Doha.
Reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan and two-time former world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada could also stand in Neeraj’s Asian Games title defence and bid to reclaim the Commonwealth crown if fit.
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/anju-bobby-george-neeraj-chopra-asian-games-2026-commonwealth
