Neeraj pulls out of Switzerland event

Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra pulled out of a top-level competition in Switzerland on Tuesday, owing to fatigue.

Neeraj was to compete in the Spitzen Leichtathletik event in Lucerne, a World Athletics continental tour silver-level competition where the likes of Olympics gold medal favourite Johannes Vetter of Germany and some other top javelin throwers are taking part.

It is learnt that Neeraj had reached Lucerne but decided to skip the event to give his body some rest after a lot of travel.

Training

The 23-year-old will now proceed to Upsala in Sweden for training and is expected to take part in the Gateshead Diamond League (England) on July 13. That would be his biggest event before the Olympics.

Besides Vetter, Andreas Hofmann (Germany), Keshorn Walcott (Trinidad and Tobago) and Bernhard Seifert (Germany), who all are above Neeraj in the Road to Tokyo list, are lined up for the event.

Neeraj had won bronze in the Kuortane Games in Finland on Saturday with an effort of 86.79m, behind season-leader and 2017 world champion Vetter (93.59m) and 2012 Olympics gold medallist and 2016 Games bronze winner Walcott (89.12m).

That was his third best performance this season since re-writing his own national record during the Indian Grand Prix 3 in March at Patiala with a throw of 88.07m. A few days later, he reached 87.80m during the Federation Cup at the same venue.