After winning the elusive Gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, Neeraj Chopra has immediately become a household name in India. The javelin thrower was recently honoured with Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna for his contribution to the field of sports.
Neeraj’s throw of 87.58 created history for India in Tokyo as it bagged the Gold medal for23-year-old track and field athlete. However, Neeraj has revealed that breaching the 90 metre mark will be another milestone in his career but he does not want that to become an obsession.
Neeraj Chopra’s best throw is recorded at 88.07metre but the youngster is looking to improve on his craft. He also wants to keep things simple as he knows that the one who comes up with the best throw wins the medal.
“In javelin, the distance always vary from event to event. Yes, the expectations have gone up (for breaching the 90metre mark) and I hope that the day is not too far. Again it all depends on how on the day of the competition, as I believe in giving my 100percentin every tournament, ” Neeraj said in an interview with TOI.
“I have thrown 88.07 metres so it is a matter of a couple of metres but the entire process depends on your overall fitness and conditions where you are throwing. In the last couple of years I was in great rhythm but somehow fell short of the mark. Hope to get it soon, ” the Olympics champion added.
It has been four weeks since Neeraj Chopra has returned to training at NIS, Patiala after taking a two-month-long break after the historic Gold medal triumph at the Tokyo Olympics.
“It has been a long break. I cannot allow myself any more distractions. Well there could be exceptions of family gatherings but the entire focus is getting back to training full throttle,” Chopra added. The 23-year-old is going to stick with his mentor and biomechanics expert Dr. Klaus Bartonietz as he looks to defend his gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Chopra is looking forward to a packed season with the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Diamond League all lined up in the upcoming months.
