World Athletics C’ship: Vetter pulls out with injury, no clash with Neeraj Chopra

Oregan (USA), July 7

The 2017 World Champion javelin thrower, Johannes Vetter of Germany has pulled out of the upcoming World Athletics Championship in Oregon due to an injury, which would mean that there will be no clash with Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra.

Vetter, who was in superb form in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympic Games, was the favourite to win the title in Tokyo but could not produce the same performance and finished out of the medals. Chopra went on to win the gold medal in Tokyo with a brilliant performance.

After the disappointment of the Tokyo Olympics, Vetter has competed in only one event in 2022 -- the Ursapharm Speerwurf Meeting in Offenburg, Germany in May winning a silver medal with a throw of 85.64, way below his personal best of 97.76 metre.

On Wednesday, Vetter informed the reason for his absence from the circuit since May and also announced that would not be competing in the World Championships.

"As you probably have noticed, I haven't shared much content over the past months. I have been fighting with shoulder problems since the beginning of the season. Therefore, we decided to not compete at the World Championship in Oregon," Vetter informed in a post on Instagram.

He said that he was not sure when he will be able to compete again.

"It's tough to say when I will be able to compete again and I will need the following weeks to digest this decision. Nevertheless, I will try to keep you posted and share a few more updates. #VetterWurf."

Vetter was expected to make a strong comeback in the 2022 World Championship to add to the bronze he won in the 2019 World Championships.

--IANS