Bhubaneswar, May 8: After three long years, Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra would be participating in a domestic tournament.
He has confirmed his participation in the Federation Cup, starting from May 12, here. It would be his first domestic tournament in three years.
Interestingly, Odisha is the home state of Neeraj's contestant Kisore Jena, who also would be participating in the Paris Olympics.
Neeraj last competed in the 2021 Federation Cup which was held before the Tokyo Olympics, the javelin thrower made his mark by becoming the first Indian to win an Olympic gold in athletics.
He will be making his way back to India for the Federation Cup after the Doha Diamond League which is scheduled to take place on May 10 in Qatar, UAE.
The Doha meet will be the beginning of the 2024 season for Neeraj, who will be in action for the first time since winning gold in the 2023 Asian Games.
The 26-year-old javelin thrower is setting his eyes on defending his Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics slated to begin in July.
With Paris Olympics a few months away, Neeraj is expected to use Federation Cup experience as a practice for the Paris show. (With IANS support)
