'I wanted to step out there and give my best for India despite all the challenges but it wasn't my night.'
Indian javelin throw ace Neeraj Chopra said that the disappointing eighth-place finish at the World Championships was not how he had hoped to end his season but vowed to come back stronger after the break.
Troubled by back pain, Chopra, the defending gold-medallist, could manage a best of just 84.03 to be eliminated after the fifth round of finals in Tokyo on Thursday. He later revealed that the back issue had been hampering him since the beginning of this month but he did not want to cite this as the reason for the below-par show.
'It's not how I had hoped to end the season, at the World Championships in Tokyo. I wanted to step out there and give my best for India despite all the challenges but it wasn't my night,' he posted on X on Friday.
'Grateful for all your support, this only makes me determined to come back stronger,' he added.
The 27 year old also complimented debutant Sachin Yadav, whose 86.27m throw left him fourth in the standings.
'I'm really happy for Sachin, who threw a personal best and almost brought home a medal. Congratulations to @keshorn_walcott, @peters_oly and @Curt_Thompson on their well-deserved podium places,' he added.
Keshorn Walcott (88.16m) of Trinidad and Tobago won gold, followed by Grenada's Anderson Peters (87.38m) and American Curtis Thompson (86.67m).
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