An inguinal hernia is a bulge of abdominal organs like the omentum or intestine through the natural openings through which testicular vessels and cord structures pass from the abdomen to the testes For elite athletes, the impact of an inguinal hernia can be significant, affecting performance and requiring careful management, said doctors in the wake of reports on Neeraj Chopra suffering from a long-standing inguinal or groyne hernia. An inguinal hernia is a bulge of abdominal organs like the omentum or intestine through the natural openings through which testicular vessels and cord structures pass from the abdomen to the testes. Chopra, India’s leading track and field athlete, bagged a Silver medal in the recently concluded Paris Olympics 2024.
His performance was reportedly impacted due to his condition during the men’s javelin final at the Olympics, finishing behind Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem. The 26-year-old javelin star, while speaking to the media, said that he has been suffering from the condition for a long time and threw 89.94m (personal best in 2022) with this injury.
But more than the technique, “almost 50 per cent” of the focus is on “my injury”, he said, adding it is time to undergo proper treatment, as advised previously by the doctors. “An inguinal hernia occurs when intra-abdominal contents like the intestines protrude through an abnormal weak spot in the abdominal wall, typically in the groyne area. This condition is common among athletes like Neer.