- Neeraj on Paris Olympics performance
- A star athlete in the Diamond League circuit
- Practice aiming for the 90m mark
India’s double Olympian Neeraj Chopra said that due to injury, he could not reach his target. Neeraj shone silver in the recently concluded prestigious Paris Olympics. Although he was suffering from an injury, he threw the ball brilliantly and took the second place. He said the injury had a major impact on not meeting expectations. He clarified that if he was fully fit, he would have reached the 90m mark. Chopra, who is preparing for the upcoming Diamond League, said that India will perform better in the upcoming Olympics.
Neeraj Chopra | New Delhi: India’s star athlete Neeraj Chopra spoke on various topics including the Paris Olympics performance. Chopra, who is currently training in Switzerland for the Diamond League, gave a virtual interview on Saturday.
On the target of 90 meters..?
Actually, I have chosen the goal of reaching the 90m mark in the Paris Olympics. But I could not throw the javelin as much as I wanted due to the injury in my groin. I failed to hit the target as the javelin thrown did not go in the right direction due to injury and poor runup. But try to throw 100 percent in the upcoming tournaments. Let’s see what happens.
On competition with Arshad?
A friendly rivalry continued between me and Pakistani javelin throw athlete Arshad Nadeem at the Paris Olympics. Both were fouled when they threw for the first time. After that, in the second attempt, Arshad threw a distance of 92.97 meters and set a new Olympic record. In my next turn, I was able to throw a distance of 89.45 meters. Even though I tried to reach Arshad, I could not perform to my full potential due to injury. Body and mind could not cooperate to give hundred percent effort. Inability to throw properly during training sessions due to injury affected my performance.
Focused on technique?
A few failures in Paris hurt. Especially if the javelin is thrown fast, the distance is reduced because the line is not correct. If the javelin had gone in the right direction..it would have reached another two or three meters.
Ready for the Diamond League?
The Diamond League is starting from 22nd of this month in Lausanne. I am practicing for this. Finishing in the top-6 will give them a chance to qualify for the Diamond League finals in September. After the end of the season in a month, I will have surgery on the injury.
On the Indian show?
If India wants to become a sports powerhouse..revolutionary changes should come. Especially everyone should come forward to play all kinds of sports. Find out which sport you can excel in and move forward accordingly. China, America and Japan are leading in the pursuit of medals because of their policies. I am confident that in the coming days we will qualify for the Olympics as well as the FIFA World Cup tournament.
