The season will be long for Neeraj Chopra.
Starting with the Doha Diamond League on May 5 till the Hangzhou Asian Games in September-October, India’s Olympic Games javelin champion will have his plate full.
And on Sunday morning, the 25-year-old superstar spoke — from the Gloria Sports Arena in Antalya where he is currently based for training — about how he envisages the new season, the challenges that lie ahead, the key to remain injury-free, World Championships and a lot more.
He also made a promise. Neeraj wants to put to bed the irritatingly nagging subject of him not being able to breach the 90-metre mark. “Is baar 90m ka sawaal khatam hi kar doonga (Will close this discussion on the 90-metre mark for good). It’s a magical distance and the 90m club is famous in the world of the javelin.
“Not saying it’s not important, but I’m sure this year I will cross it. Everybody has been asking about the 90m mark since 2018. Last year, I was just six centimetres short,” Neeraj said during a virtual news conference. His personal best of 89.94 metres was achieved last year during the Stockholm Diamond League meet.
Neeraj travelled to the UK’s Loughborough University and South Africa’s Potchefstroom for training tripsbefore settling down in Antalya for the upcoming tournaments.
In Doha, he will be up against the reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch and Julian Weber of Germany, among others.
“The preparations have been excellent. We have the World Championships in Budapest, Diamond League Finals in Eugene, US, and then the Asian Games.
“The season is packed with important events. So, the effort will be to remain injury-free and stay fit. I want toend the season on a successful note,” he said.
Neeraj came second to Peters in the world meet last year and this time he wants to go one better. “Last time, I finished second despite suffering a groin injury between my throws.
“This year, I would like to finish on the top of the podium. Winning the gold in Budapest is the target. I am confident about my chances. At the same time, I am under no pressure or stress.”
The Diamond League Final winner was asked if there was any lesson he has learnt in the last few years.
“In hindsight, I should not have gone for the fifth and sixth throws after injuring myself during the world meet in Eugene. I had gone to my coach (Klaus Bartonietz) and physio (Ishaan Marwaha) and told them that I will not go for the fifth and sixth throws.
“But later, I could not stop myself. I put straps around the thigh and went for the throws. If at all there is a lesson to be learnt, I hope I will not do like that in future,” he said.
The fifth and the sixth throws were fouls but his fourth (88.13) was good enough for the silver. It was India’s first podium finish at the world meet after long jumper Anju Bobby George in 2003.
The injury forced Neeraj to skip the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where he was to defend the gold he had won in 2018. Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem took home the gold and also breached the 90-metre mark.
Neeraj was in the UK when the Fifa World Cup was on in Doha last year and the passionate way people followed the game blew his mind. “It was just amazing. India, to be a sporting nation, will have to show that passion. Yes cricket is big but we have to be passionate about every game,” Neeraj, who has inspired a whole lot of athletes with his gold medal-winning feat in the Tokyo Olympic Games, said.
