With big events coming up, Neeraj Chopra to extend US stay
Neeraj Chopra won't be coming to India anytime soon, as the javelin thrower has decided to extend his stay in the US by four-and-half months till the World Athletics Championships in Oregon from July 15 to 24, TOI has learnt. There's a possibility that the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist may return only after the Birmingham Commonwealth Games (CWG), which is scheduled to start four days after the Worlds, on July 28. Neeraj has currently been training at the Chula Vista elite athlete training centre in the US since December 5 last year and was scheduled to arrive home after March 4, following the completion of his 90-day off-season camp. Neeraj placed his request for extension with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and the same was forwarded to the Sports Authority of India (SAI), which cleared the proposal. "It made no sense for Neeraj to return home, given the packed international calendar which will see him competing at the Worlds, Birmingham CWG and Hangzhou Asian Games (September 10 to 25)," a source in the know of the development informed.
Read AlsoOlympic champion Neeraj Chopra nominated for Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year awardOlympic gold medal-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was on Wednesday nominated for the prestigious Laureus 'World Breakthrough of the Year' award, making him the first Indian to be featured in the short-list for this category.
"Many world-class athletes prefer to train in Chula Vista for big-ticket events like the Worlds. They make their bookings months in advance to stay at its residential facility. It would have been difficult for Neeraj and his support staff to get a booking at the facility closer to the Worlds. So, it's been decided to let him stay there and continue
