"I Was Scared": Neeraj Chopra's Stunning Revelation After Winning Commonwealth Games 2026 Silver
Neeraj Chopra revealed that he was "scared" every time he stepped up for an attempt during the men's javelin throw event at the Commonwealth Games 2026.
- Neeraj Chopra revealed that he was "scared" every time he stepped up for an attempt at Commonwealth Games 2026
- The star athlete went on to claim the silver medal in the men's javelin event
- "I was scared. I did not want to run very hard, wanted to keep my body in control," Neeraj said
Neeraj Chopra revealed that he was "scared" every time he stepped up for an attempt during the men's javelin throw event at the Commonwealth Games 2026. While the star athlete went on to claim the silver medal, he said that the injury concerns were on his mind. This was his first medal at a major competition in almost a year after he was plagued by injuries. However, he showed tremendous determination to bounce back and clinch a medal for his country. Neeraj produced a season best attempt of 85.83m but the gold medal went to Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage with a massive 89.75m.
"My comeback is going well. I do not do very well in cold, I am Indian after all. It feels good to return back on the podium. I am slowly getting the results of the work that I put in," Chopra said after the event, according to India Today.
"Improvement will happen. I will try to get better throws in the next competitions. I think the main difference is that if you are 100 per cent fit, you have the fighting spirit that you'll overcome anything. But with injury, it makes you think. You are scared. Today as well, I was scared. I did not want to run very hard, wanted to keep my body in control. But yeah, the throw was fine."
Fellow Indian Yash Vir Singh won the bronze medal with a personal best of 85.41m with his final attempt.
Neeraj also pointed to the cold conditions in Glasgow, saying they made life difficult for the entire field.
"I also had only one decent throw today," he said, referring to his 85.83m effort. "I felt the other throws could have been better, but the javelin just didn't fly."
The 28-year-old noted that champion Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage also needed just one quality attempt to secure victory.
"Only one good throw is enough," Neeraj said. "He had one good throw today, and I also had only one decent throw."
Although pleased to return to the podium, Neeraj said his primary objective remains improving with every competition as he builds towards the rest of the season.
"Definitely, there's still room to improve," he said. "I wouldn't say I've improved a lot this season. I could have done even better.
"The aim now is to keep improving gradually in the next competitions."