'Painful challenge': Neeraj Chopra competes at DL final with a fractured hand

India's most-feted athlete Neeraj Chopra revealed on Sunday that he competed at the Diamond League final in Brussels with an injury.

Neeraj lost the Diamond League trophy to Anderson Peters on Saturday by one centimetre.

Neeraj, who won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics ahead of Peters, could come up with a best throw of 87.86 in his third attempt.

Peters of Grenada pipped Neeraj with a throw of 87.87 to win the trophy.

As the Diamond League final marked the end of the athletics season, Neeraj took to social media to reveal that he injured his left hand during practice. Yet, with the help of his support staff, he competed at the event and achieved a creditable second-place finish.

"As the 2024 season ends, I look back on everything I have leanrt through the year - about improvement, setbacks, mentality and more," the 26-year-old wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"On Monday, I injured myself in practice and x-rays showed that I had fractured the fourth metacarpal in my left hand. It was another painful challenge for me. But with the help of my team, I was able to participate in Brussels," added Neeraj, who won the Diamond League final in 2022.

Meanwhile, the javelin thrower also stated that the DL final was his last competition of the year as he is determined to return to the track regaining his fitness.

"This was the last competition of the year, and I wanted to end my season on the track. While I couldn’t meet my own expectations, I feel this was a season in which I learned a lot. I am now determined to return, fully fit and ready to go," said the athlete.

"I want to thank all of you for your encouragement. 2024 has made me a better athlete and person. See you in 2025," wrote Neeraj.

The 2024 season saw Neeraj struggle due to an adductor injury.

He had qualified for the Diamond League final after two second-place finishes in Diamond League meets in Doha and Lausanne on May 10 and August 22.

He won the Federation Cup in Bhubaneswar in May and subsequently in June, he clinched the gold medal at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland.

In the Paris Olympics, he settled for the silver medal with his best attempt of 89.45 which came in his final throw. As Neeraj missed the elusive 90m throw, Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem won the gold medal with two giant 90m plus throws.

After the final Neeraj had talked about his groin injury and suggested that he would undergo surgery and return to the track fully fit.