Neeraj Chopra comeback confirmed: Star javelin thrower to compete at Doha Diamond League on this date

Neeraj Chopra will return to competitive action at the Doha Diamond League 2026, which will mark his comeback on the field after more than nine months. The development comes a day after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics champion was provisionally added to India's Commonwealth Games 2026 squad.

After a shock eighth-place finish at the World Championships in September 2025, Neeraj has focused on recovering from a back injury. He, thus, has missed the entire season but is now fully fit and ready to come back.

Neeraj Chopra comeback date

"First throw of 2026 lands in Doha! Neeraj Chopra returns to competitive action on June 19," his management firm Vel Sports announced on Instagram. The two-time Olympic medallist has been training in Switzerland ahead of his comeback after recovering from his back injury.

The Doha Diamond League takes place on June 19 in Qatar with the best of javelin throw world participating in the competition.

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Reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott, former world champion Anderson Peters, Kenyan legend Julius Yego and former Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch are among the big names in the list of competitors. However, focus will be on Sri Lanka's rising javelin throw sensation Rumesh Pathirage who recently amazed the world with a stunning 92.62m throw. It remains the only 90m-plus throw this season.

Neeraj broke the much awaited 90m barrier when he last competed in Doha at the Diamond League last season. He will be hoping for a similar result this year as well.

As for participation in the Commonwealth Games, Neeraj will have to clear the 82.61m set by the Athletics Federation of India.

“Neeraj has recovered and he is ready to compete in the next few days. He asked us to add him and we expect him to play in a few meets this month... He will have to breach the qualification mark set by AFI like others,” AFI selection committee chairman Adille Sumariwalla had said on Sunday.