Aug 29 (Reuters) - Former ⁠Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra has ended his 2026 ⁠season early after sustaining a ligament tear during ‌training, the javelin thrower announced in an Instagram post on Saturday, three weeks before the Asian Games.

The 28-year-old Indian, who took ​gold at the Tokyo Olympics and ⁠won silver in Paris, ⁠placed second in the Lausanne Diamond League with a ⁠throw ‌of 88.05 metres last week, but suffered the injury soon after, getting sidelined for ⁠a long period for the second time ​in a year.

"After ‌discussions with my doctor and team, we've decided ⁠that I ​will sit out the rest of this season," Chopra posted.

"It's disappointing, especially because I felt close to finding ⁠my rhythm. But as they say, ​setbacks are a part of the journey."

Chopra, who was dealing with lower back discomfort since 2023, aggravated a disc ⁠injury in September 2025 during training. He went into a nine-month rehabilitation period after the Tokyo World Championships, and returned in June.

He had qualified for the ​Diamond League finals next week, ⁠and was a medal hope for India at next ​month's Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

"My focus now ‌is on recovering well and ​coming back even stronger," Chopra added.

(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Alex Richardson)