Indian Athletics Season Review: From Neeraj to Sable, a flat end after much promise

It was a near-perfect end to the season for Neeraj Chopra. Competing in the Diamond League finals in Brussels, he fell just one centimetre short of Anderson Peters’ tournament-winning throw of 87.87m. While Neeraj might not have won the title, he once again underlined his status as one of the most consistent athletes this season.

Over the course of 2024, he competed six times and placed in the top two on each occasion. In fact, the last time Neeraj finished outside the top two on the podium was back in 2021. Between then and the Kuortane Games in Finland, the 26-year-old competed in 19 competitions, finishing either first or second — a feat that includes both a gold and silver medal at the Olympics and the World Championships.

No Indian athlete has a record like this, and it’s unlikely many will in the future. Yet, a day after competing in Brussels, Neeraj downplayed his own achievement. Instead, he spoke of the lessons learned throughout the year. He also revealed that he had been competing in with a fractured hand.

“As the 2024 season ends, I look back on everything I’ve learned throughout the year — about improvement, setbacks, mentality, and more. On Monday, I injured myself in practice, and X-rays showed that I had fractured the fourth metacarpal in my left hand. It was another painful challenge for me. But with the help of my team, I was able to participate in Brussels. This was the last competition of the year, and I wanted to end my season on the track. While I couldn’t meet my own expectations, I feel this was a season in which I learned a lot. I am now determined to return fully fit and ready. I want to thank all of you for your encouragement. 2024 has made me a better athlete and person. See you in 2025,” Neeraj posted on his social media accounts.

Neeraj’s self-assessment didn’t come out of the blue. Although he had won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics with a throw that would have earned him gold in five of the previous six Olympic Games — the best performance by an Indian athlete at the 2024 Games — he still seemed disappointed with the result.

In the mixed zone, he spoke about competing since 2018 with an injured groin muscle. He had considered surgery to treat the recurring injury but kept postponing the procedure because he wanted to participate in major competitions like the Olympics and World Championships. Despite his injury, he managed to keep his battered body in the mix and perform well. However, when he needed to produce the biggest throw of his career to challenge an inspired Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan at the Paris Games, his body couldn’t back him up.

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It was a frustrating result, as Neeraj admitted. While he wants to win the big medals, what he really wants is to perform the way he knows he can. While he jokes about not being able to go past the 90-metre barrier, it is something that genuinely rankles him.

“I know there is a big throw in me, but I’m not able to get it out. I’m not able to get it out because I’m not able to throw with the freedom I want. Every time I throw, I’m constantly thinking about not getting injured again,” he said in the bowels of the Stade de France.

Neeraj had spoken then about potentially undergoing surgery for a long-term solution to his groin issue. Curiously, though, he hasn’t had the procedure yet. While the rest of the Indian contingent at the Paris Games returned to India, with several medal winners attending felicitations and other ceremonies, Neeraj stayed to compete. He participated in the Diamond League in Zurich, followed by the Diamond League Finals in Brussels. He claimed he wanted to finish the season on the track, but it seems more likely that he was trying to end the season on his own terms.

If Neeraj was not satisfied with his performance at the Paris Games, there’s not much to be said about the other Indian performances in track and field this year.

Neeraj’s silver medal was the only real saving grace for the Indian track and field contingent at the Paris Olympics. The rest of the Indian contingent struggled. The men’s 4x400m relay team narrowly missed qualifying for the final by microseconds, while the women’s 4x400m relay team delivered a disappointing performance, failing to leave any mark on the competition. Several of India’s current national champions, expected to make an impact, also faltered. Asian Games champion Annu Rani (women’s javelin), Tajinderpal Singh Toor (shot put), Praveen Chithravel (triple jump), Jyothi Yarraji (100m hurdles), Jeswin Aldrin (long jump), and Parul Chaudhary (3,000m steeplechase) all failed to qualify for the finals, falling far short of their qualification marks.

Avinash Sable, the men’s 3,000m steeplechase national record holder, was the only other Indian to reach a final, finishing 11th in his event. No other athlete achieved a personal best at the Olympics, and only Parul Chaudhary secured a season’s best (in both the 3,000m steeplechase and 5,000m).

The result was particularly disappointing given that India had a promising build-up to the Games. From the start of the season until the end of the Olympic qualification period, eight outdoor national records were set. Athletics Federation of India president Adille Sumariwalla admitted that he was disappointed by the overall result.

There would be further disappointment at the Junior World Championships in Lima, Peru, where India finished with just one medal — in the women’s 10km race walk. India made the finals in just four events, and only one athlete, Sharukh Khan in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase, set a new national record.

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The Federation has talked about revamping the qualification system. Rather than peaking at one competition, Indian athletes will have to compete multiple times in India, earning points that will ultimately determine their spot on the Indian team for the upcoming season.

While the Federation is attempting something innovative in hopes of improving India’s performances, plenty of perennial issues remain. Over the course of the season, several promising Indian athletes, including Manu DP, who finished sixth at the World Championships in the javelin throw, and Parvej Khan, who set an Indian record in the mile, failed drug tests and face lengthy bans.

It remains to be seen what the upcoming season will bring. The 2025 calendar is relatively uneventful, with only two major competitions — the 2025 Asian Championships and the World Championships in Tokyo. While India will, of course, hope to perform well at these events, what may be even more important is the shape Neeraj Chopra shows up in — and whether he is finally able to throw with the confidence he desires.