Doha Diamond League 2025: Kishore Kumar Jena sets eyes on his first big test for the season

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Asian Games silver medallist Kishore Kumar Jena will be seen in action at the Doha Diamond League on May 16. "Doha will be his (Jena's) first big test of the season," Jena's coach Steve Lemke told MyKhel. India's ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will also compete in Doha.

Lemke, who hails from Florida, USA, is a throwing coach at the Reliance Foundation Athletics Program in Mumbai. Jena, along with a group of throwers, is training under Lemke's guidance in Mumbai.

Speaking to the website on the sidelines of the 28th National Federation Senior Athletics Championship, Lemke said Jena would need time to regain lost ground as he was making a comeback from injury. In 2023, the 29-year-old Jena finished fifth at the World Athletics Championships in Hungary and won a silver medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

In Kochi, during the championship, Jena's best throw out of six attempts was 77.82m. His other legal throws were 68.26m, 69.72m, and 76.75m. Two of his attempts were ruled as no-marks.

"The competition in Kochi was to evaluate his (Jena's) progress," the foreign expert said. "He is getting better with each passing day."

According to Lemke, Jena is undergoing rehabilitation three times a week to regain full fitness. "The domestic competition in India is highly competitive, and an athlete has to be 100 percent healthy to perform to their full potential," he added.

The 2023 World Championships finalist from Odisha said he felt stiffness in his ankle during the competition in Kochi and therefore didn't push himself. "I think it will take some more time to get better," Jena said after finishing fourth at the National Federation Senior Athletics Championship.

After a stellar 2023 season, Jena has struggled through the 2024 season. At the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games (held in 2023), Jena won a silver medal with a personal best of 87.54m, a performance that elevated him to seventh in the global rankings.

He also finished fifth with a throw of 84.77m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. However, in the buildup to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the Hangzhou Asian Games silver medallist often dealt with a recurring ankle niggle. He was unable to cross the 85m mark in any competition during 2024 and failed to finish in the top eight at the Paris Olympics.

In November, Jena underwent ankle surgery to relieve the persistent pain. Since then, he has been undergoing rehabilitation at the Reliance Academy in Mumbai. The foreign coach at the Reliance Academy noted that, following a layoff due to injury, rebuilding confidence is just as important as physical fitness.

"He (Jena) is improving mentally and physically to gear up for the global competition in September in Japan," Lemke said. "Each day he is getting better, and we are satisfied with the progress Jena has made so far."