Jena eyes strong start to season after long injury layoff

Bhubaneswar: Kishore Jena will be hoping to make a strong start to the season when he competes at the Indian Open Throws meet in Patiala on Sunday. He has been out of action since the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi in May last year after injuring his right ankle.
Speaking ahead of the event, the javelin thrower said during a virtual interaction that he’s just hoping to throw freely, something he’s been unable to do for quite a while now.
“For months I couldn’t throw properly, but now I have started to throw with full approach. So, I don’t have any target as such for the throws meet. I just want to throw as freely as possible,” said Jena.
It’s the least he can look forward to because following the high of 2023, when he grabbed the silver medal at Asian Games with a personal best throw of 87.54m behind Neeraj Chopra, Jena has been having a tough time.
After failing to impress at the Olympics, Jena first underwent a surgery to operate bone growth and fractures in his left ankle. As he began to make a comeback in 2025, there was a ligament tear in his right ankle that forced him to miss the entire year.
“I got back from one injury and then another injury happened. I couldn’t train or compete and just had to sit and wait. I just got frustrated with all the injuries. I couldn’t think of anything positive and didn’t feel like talking to anyone,” added Jena.
Even his coach at Reliance Foundation in Mumbai, Steve Lemke, said it’s been incredibly tough for him.
“It’s been a very difficult journey. It’s taken longer than anyone expected for him to get back to where he is right now. I mean, we still have some challenges, but not, not daily. It's just sometimes the ankle flares up a little bit. But he’s in a lot better space than he was 12 months ago,” said Lemke.
As for Jena, he is feeling as good as he felt during the 2023 season when he not only grabbed the silver at Asiad but also came fifth at the World Athletics Championships.
“I am throwing quite well in training. I worked a bit on the placement of my ankle because it wasn’t going in the right direction after being out of competition for a long time, but I am confident of doing well,” added the athlete from Odisha, whose main focus remains the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games later this year.
Lemke, however, has eyes on even bigger things. “2026 is important because it sets up the World Championships next year and the Olympics in 2028. So, this is a big stepping stone for the next two years,” said the coach.
The immediate aim, though, will be to get a good start in Patiala.
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