Neeraj Chopra will start his Paris Olympics preparations at the Doha Diamond League before heading to Finland to compete at Paavo Nurmi Games.
New Delhi: Tokyo Olympics gold medallist and javelin ace, Neeraj Chopra, hoped to cross the coveted 90m mark before the Paris Olympics, and stated it could happen anytime soon. Chopra is currently preparing for the Doha Diamond League, scheduled to take place on May 10 before heading to Finland to compete at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku on June 18. Chopra’s best throw came during the 2022 Stockholm Diamond League, where he hurled the spear to a distance of 89.94m. While he has breached 90m in training, he has yet to match it in competition.
The 26-year-old, who will be aiming to retain his Olympic gold in Paris, said on Thursday, “I will try to breach the 90m mark before that (Paris Olympics). Hopefully, it happens before Paris, everything is going on smoothly, so (people) might not have to wait till the Olympics, it might happen before that. The preparation is good.”
The reigning world champion’s confidence stems from the fact that he has had a good off season, where he focused on fitness and strength, coupled with the success he has achieved after winning gold in 2020 Tokyo.
“During the start of the season, the focus was on fitness and strength and no specific javelin training. I think I got a lot of improvement in technique because of that. Besides, the strength and conditioning training in South Africa and Turkey has also gone well,” said Chopra during a virtual interaction from Turkey. Chopra added that following the Tokyo Olympics success his “self-confidence” had really gone up, which will help him tremendously going into Paris.
“After Tokyo, the self-confidence has definitely gone up. Besides, I have also played quite a few events… two world championships, a silver and a gold there, won the Diamond League trophy, made some good throws, then retained the Asian Games gold (in Hangzhou) as well.
“So, the success between Tokyo and Paris has given me a lot of confidence that yes I can do it against strong competitors,” added Chopra. “My mind tells me it’s the second Olympics, so this time I am more mentally and physically prepared for Paris. I have not done much as far as mental training goes but I know, ‘yes this is my second Olympics’ and that feel is there.
Chopra also said he had tried to overcome the shortcomings in his technique following the Tokyo success. “Before Tokyo, whatever shortcomings I had and during the years leading to Paris, I have worked on them. The best part is everything is going smoothly and I am very positive.”
At the prestigious Paavo Nurmi Games, Chopra will be up against 19-year-old sensation Max Dehning of Germany, the latest entrant in the 90m club. “They (two tournaments) are very crucial in the run-up to Olympics, to get that competitive feel back (after the off-season). I will also decide in consultation with my coach and team which competitions to take part in.”
Dahlin has emerged as a strong competitor of late and the youngster is set to pose a big challenge to Chopra in the months to come, following his 90.20m throw recently. But Chopra said, he is relishing the prospect of meeting him in competition. “When I competed in Tokyo and elsewhere, most of my competitors came in boasting of 90-plus throws. So, it’s not such a big deal. What matters is what you do on that particular day.
“I am excited to compete against Dahlin. But it depends on the kind of pressure they (competitors) are able to handle. That is the biggest challenge. I’m sure I will play a lot of matches with Max (Dahlin). Never played with him before. It will be interesting, I will enjoy. He skipped the 80 (metres) completely. From 70m, he (straightway) came up with a throw of 90m. It (such a thing) has has happened for the first time and I will enjoy his challenge,” said Chopra.