Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra made a sensational comeback from injury, finishing in No. 1 position in the Diamond League event in Lausanne last week. Neeraj Chopra came up with a throw of 87.66m on his sixth attempt finish at the top. It was his second first place finish in the Diamond League events this year after his top place in Doha earlier this year.
The Tokyo Olympics gold medallist said his next focus is winning the gold medal at the World Athletics Championship which will be held in Budapest next month. Neeraj Chopra will have a packed schedule from next month as he competes in World Championships between August 19 to 27 followed by a two-week gap before he heads to Hangzhou for the Asian Games in September.
“The World Championships gold medal is still missing from my cabinet. I have a medal in the World Championships but it is not gold. All my focus is now targeted at getting fit for Budapest. If I can do that I can prepare myself for Asian Games as well,” Neeraj Chopra said during an exclusive interaction with select media on Monday.
Neeraj Chopra often has to deal with the pressure of hitting the 90m mark, especially from the fans and media around the world. However, the Indian javelin star brushed aside that pressure. “The pressure to hit the 90m mark is not there. I believe that winning any competition in a field that features the best athletes is most important. I don’t take any pressure,” he said.
Neeraj’s best performance this season so far has been a 88.67m attempt at the Doha Diamond League followed by his 87.66 metres attempt in Lausanne. With two No. 1-place finishes, Neeraj Chopra is confident that he has almost qualified for the Diamond League final in Eugene.
“I want to remain fresh for the World Championships in Budapest. I have managed to secure 16 points in the Diamond League where only the best 6 javelin stars will compete. I believe that 16 points should be enough for me to qualify for the final. I need to work on my fitness level before the World Championships,” the 25-year-old said.
Neeraj Chopra vs Arshad Nadeem at Asian Games
The Olympic champion brushed aside the possible upcoming clash against Pakistan’s javelin star Arshad Nadeem at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Arshad Nadeem was the one who managed to breach the elusive ‘90m mark’ winning the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 last year in the absence of injured Neeraj Chopra.
“The India vs Pakistan angle always comes in when we are talking about Arshad Nadeem. For me, he is just like any other consistent athlete around the world. When I am on the field, I am not thinking that I am up against Arshad Nadeem. I believe Arshad has suffered some injury earlier this season but I will be looking forward to resuming out rivalry if he turns up at Asian Games,” Neeraj Chopra said.
Long season for Neeraj Chopra
It will be a delayed end to the season for Neeraj Chopra in 2023. With the Hangzhou Asian Games getting postponed to 2023 from 2022 due to COVID-19 pandemic, Neeraj Chopra’s season will end near October this year, giving him little break before he starts preparing for 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
“This season is definitely going to end late for me but I still have enough time to prepare for Paris Olympic Games. Although after Asian Games, I won’t be able to enjoy a couple of months break and have to return to training immediately. I need to forget about vacation this time around,” Neeraj Chopra.
However, the Indian star athlete is not one who likes long breaks as well. “I think I took too much of a break after the Tokyo Olympics. I get unfit if I take a break from training for more than 2-3 days. I tend to eat too much and gain weight. Heading into Lausanne event, I think I was heavier by 1-2kgs since my focus was on recovering from injury and rehab. I couldn’t train with same intensity but we still have plenty of time before the World Championships,” he added.
Bureau Report
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