Neeraj Chopra has the 90m mark in sights this year

The reigning javelin throw Olympic gold medallist missed his target by an extremely small margin at the Diamond League meet in Stockholm.

Neeraj Chopra has a major target in sight this season. He has been trying it for a while now and is edging closer and closer to the mark. The reigning Olympic champion is now confident that he is “close” to breaching the much anticipated 90m mark in javelin throw. Chopra believes he only requires “favourable conditions” to help him achieve his target.

In fact, last year he had come agonisingly close to meeting his objective. At the Diamond League meet in Stockholm, Sweden, the 25-year-old managed to register a distance of 89.94m - just excruciatingly short of the 90m he has coveted for so long.

“Definitely, I’m close. I just need one perfect day with favourable weather conditions and I am confident I’ll be able to achieve the throw,” Chopra said during an interview with Jio Cinema.

All eyes will be on the Olympic champion as he will be flying the tricolour high at the World Championship. Neeraj, who has been under the spotlight since an early age, says that he is quite used to the pressure of the big stages now and it doesn’t really bother him.

When it comes to the grandest tournaments like the World Championships or the Olympics, he feels an added sense of responsibility.

“I have somewhat become accustomed to handling pressure. However, when I participate in competitions that occur once every two to four years (like the World Championships and the Olympics), there is undoubtedly a sense of responsibility.

“But, I always give my hundred percent and perform with complete focus. Initially, there were other factors which used to overwhelm me but gradually I have gotten used to it.”

The season has gone pretty well for Neeraj so far as he won his second consecutive Diamond League title with a throw of 87.66m on June 30. Although the performance didn’t exactly scream his best form, but the fact that he managed to blow away all competition despite returning from a lengthy injury lay-off just drives the point home regarding his quality and consistency.

“Competing and being consistent at the highest level against the world’s best athletes is definitely challenging. At the beginning of the year, I had prepared quite well, but then I got injured which led me to skip a few competitions.

“After that, I returned and participated in the Lausanne Diamond League, where my performance was good. Since then, everything has gotten better, and I am happy with my performance and training.

“For me, the most important thing is to be mentally prepared for the challenge knowing that the World Championships is approaching, and I want to perform well there.

“I’m not carrying a specific throwing distance or medal target in my mind, but it’s important that when I compete there – I don’t want to have any fear of injury or anything else on my mind. I want to give it my best, and if that happens, I will come back better than before.”

Chopra also believes in paying attention to mental preparation and how visualisation helps him achieve his goals. India’s first Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra had also implemented the same strategy to prepare during his career.

“Along with my regular training, I often also engage in visualization, which is quite enjoyable for me. It helps me feel like I’m already there competing and creates a mental picture – it has become a part of my routine.

“And to avoid pressure, I think the best way is to compete as much as possible with international athletes in events like the Diamond League and continental tours (gold, silver and bronze level).

“Due to this, when I go to the World Championships or Olympics, it doesn’t feel foreign and instead is quite normal.”

Neeraj Chopra is the first track and field athlete from India to not only win the Olympic gold, but any Olympic medal. There’s the sense that the expectations from him will be immense heading into the Paris Olympics in 2024.

However, he prefers taking it one step at a time instead.

“I believe in taking things step by step. The Olympics are still almost a year away, and currently, the focus is on the World Championships, followed by the Diamond League Final and then the Asian Games.

“After that, there’s a season break when I’ll have time and will undergo about five to six months of intensive training before getting back into competitions.

“Planning for it will involve discussions with the team to strategize and introduce new aspects to my game. All will be revealed soon.”

“The most important thing (next year) will be to keep myself physically fit, and mentally prepared, and to focus on addressing any technical issues or areas for improvement,” he signed off.

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