Javelin thrower Rohit Yadav is set to miss the upcoming World Athletics Championships and the Asian Games after undergoing surgery to treat a ligament tear in his right elbow.
Yadav had earlier pulled out of the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok earlier this month due to the injury. According to a report by Sportstar, he was operated upon by Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala in Mumbai 11 days ago.
The 22-year-old has stated that he had a complete ligament tear in the elbow of his throwing arm and surgery was his best option for addressing the issue.
“It was a complete ligament tear in my elbow (of my throwing arm). There was hardly any option. The other option was to take injections in the elbow to compete, but the doctor said there was no guarantee that I would be able to perform well because the elbow might not be stable,” Yadav told Sportstar.
Yadav, who aggravated the injury at the Inter-state meet in Bhubaneswar in June, said that opting to continue competing with the help of injections would have affected his performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“Had I gone with the second option, it might have affected the Olympic year. Since there was pain in the elbow, how long could injections help! It would have wasted time. Rather, I will use the time to complete my rehab,” he added.
“I can compete only next year” - Rohit Yadav outlines post-surgery comeback timeline
Rohit Yadav has been in good form this year. He won both the Federation Cup and the National Inter-State Championships with throws of 83.40m and 83.28m, respectively.
Yadav is the fourth-best Indian in 2023, behind Neeraj Chopra (88.67m), DP Manu (84.33m), and Kishore Jena (84.38m). The youngster, however, will have to wait until next year to return to competitive action.
“I can compete only next year. The doctor has said that I can resume training in six months. The new season will start in March, but I will try to start training in February and take part in competitions in May or June. I will have two months, May and June, to qualify for the Olympics. I never thought such a thing would happen,” he averred.