Olympic and world javelin champion Neeraj Chopra has confirmed his participation in the Nations Federation Cup to be held in Bhubaneswar from May 12 to 15, competing domestically for the first time in three years.
The 26-year-old superstar is expected to travel to India from Doha on May 10 after kicking off his season in the first leg of the prestigious Diamond League series.
Athletics Federation of India tweeted: “As per entries @Neeraj_chopra1 and Kishore Kumar Jena will compete in the domestic competition starting from May 12 in Bhubaneswar.”
Chopra’s coach Klaus Bartonitz also confirmed to PTI that his ward is participating in the event in Bhubaneswar.
According to the schedule announced on Wednesday, the men’s javelin qualifying event will be held on May 14 and the final will be held on May 15.
Kishore Jena, 28, who won a silver medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games while Chopra won a gold medal, will also compete in the Doha Diamond League on May 10.
Chopra last participated in a domestic competition at the same event on March 17, 2021, when he won the gold medal with a throw of 87.80m.
Chopra has since won a historic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, becoming the 2022 Diamond League Champion, the 2023 World Champion, and defending the China Asian Games gold medal.
He also won three individual events in the Diamond League and won a silver medal at the 2022 World Championships.
However, he has yet to reach the 90m mark. His personal best and national record is 89.94m.