A nine-month break to recover from multiple injuries forcing a late start to the season saw Neeraj Chopra finish fourth in his maiden competition this year. Coupled with his 8th-place at the 2025 World Championships, this is the longest the Olympic and World champion has gone outside the podium.

A year ago, it would have been a certified disaster. Now, the 28-year-old admits it is simply a step towards regaining his form and fitness, preferring to focus on going big at major events rather than chasing success at every outing.

“There was no pressure (at Doha), I just wanted to play. I wanted to do what I was doing in training and not do anything extra. I only wanted a good throw and I got that with 85.69m, which felt good because I wasn’t going that far in training.

“If I had been 4th or even 3rd position earlier, I would have never accepted it. For that matter, I would have never accepted an 85m throw either. But this time I knew my situation, where I was coming from, what I was coming back from. My preparation was good and I knew we have to move forward step by step. I was happy with whatever I got,” Neeraj told The Hindu on the sidelines of the Indian Athletics awards.

He had flown in earlier in the day and was scheduled to leave Sunday evening back to his training base in Switzerland, still undecided on his schedule for the days ahead leading up to the Commonwealth Games. He would be participating in a couple of Diamond League events and maybe a few others before the Asian Games, though.

“Right now, I am working on my training. The body is feeling better now. It’s not the same as it was before, I am not the old Neeraj but I am slowly coming back. It took a long time because it wasn’t just one injury, there were several. I had an Achilles injury in my blocking leg, in my back, I had some issues in my shoulder and elbow. And I have been having trouble with my groin for a long time.

“So after Tokyo, we decided to do rehab first, start slowly, not take any pressure and not be in a hurry to return to competition. Which is why I started throwing only in May this year, usually it starts in January itself. But such is the life of an athlete, you always carry your injuries like medals,” he laughed.

Going back to his senior and first coach Jaiveer Chaudhary has been sort of a homecoming for Neeraj. “We are already connected and I have been always been in touch with him and it feels good to get back together. After training with Jan Zelezny, I don’t think anything’s left to go out again with another foreign coach. There is a comfort level too with Jai. Most importantly, I have to work on my own ideas, my own thoughts and do what comes to me naturally. With Jai and Ishan (Marwaha, physio), I have a good team,” he added.

Asked about the rise of Rumesh Pathirage — the Sri Lankan has already won two Diamond League events this year, crossed the 92m mark and is the man to beat — Neeraj was all praise.

“Rumesh is very talented, I felt last year also that he would do well. I felt good to meet him again in Doha. It’s good that competition is increasing in javelin in South Asia and it will only help bring more attention to the sport in the region.”

Jyothi Surekha has been a picture of consistency since picking up the bow and arrow. With 93 medals to her name – including five from the Asian Games – the 29-year-old is now preparing to add to that tally at this year’s edition of the quadrennial event in Japan.

Surekha emerged on top at the selection trials held at the Sports Authority of India’s National Centre of Excellence in Sonipat, Haryana, while several prominent names, including Atanu Das, Ojas Pravin Deotale and Deepika Kumari, failed to qualify.

The compound archer began her World Cup run with gold in the women’s team event in Mexico but a rare off day saw a quarterfinal exit in Shanghai. She admitted that the quick turnaround between Stage 2 of the Archery World Cup and the trials in Sonipat, in addition to challenging conditions made preparation difficult.

“There was a lot of heat. There wasn’t much wind initially, but by the round-robin stage, which is very important, it became very windy,” she told The Hindu.

While pleased with her selection, Surekha is equally excited about guiding a young compound women’s team featuring 21-year-old Chikitha Taniparthi and 17-year-old Prithika Pradeep at the Asian Games.

“I’m just two months away from turning 30,” she reiterated, with a laugh.

“Even though I was happy to qualify, I was a little surprised too because some big names missed out, not just in compound women, but overall. But what’s done is done. The team has been selected, and now we have to work together and make sure things go well for us.”

There were barely any celebrations at home in Vijayawada. “Everything was normal at home. Maybe we’ll celebrate after winning the Asian Games.”

For now, Surekha’s immediate focus remains on Stages 3 and 4 of the Archery World Cup in Antalya and Madrid, respectively.