Neeraj Chopra’s javelin throw that travelled the distance of 87.58m on August 7, 2021 will go down in the history books as India’s first Olympic gold medal in track and field events but more over so it has set the country down the road for sporting success. At least that is what the ‘man with the golden arm’ hopes.
From the obscurity of being a sporting prodigy in a cricket-obsessed country to being the poster-boy of India’s bright future on the field, the 24-year-old from Khandra in Panipat is sure that this just the start as he gets down to practise in the United States for a busy season in 2022.
With sights set on the World Championship, Diamond League, Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games next year, Neeraj Chopra is currently at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Centre in California for 90 days with coach Klaus Bartoneitz and physiotherapist Ishaan Marwaha.
“The last three weeks have been very good for training. Yes, initially the fitness was a bit low, but slowly the fitness is coming back again,” Neeraj Chopra said during a press interaction on Thursday.
“Training is going well. I am doing fitness, endurance training. There may be stress with Corona, but I am ready. Coaches say that if I pay more attention to technique, then I can cross the figure of 90 meters continuously.”
The javelin start has already managed to cut down on his excess body weight that he had gained after his Tokyo triumph.
“After coming from the Olympics, I had no restrictions on eating. I ate everything from sweet to whatever I liked. I had gained 12-13 kg. After that, it was getting difficult to start training again. Had to push extra every time. But now slowly everything is coming back on track. Now I have reduced 5/6 kg again,” he said.
Neeraj said that his plan is to get fitter first and then work on the short comings of his technique en route to breaching the 90 meter mark.
He also spoke on fulfilling the legendary Milkha Singh’s wish of winning Olympic gold. The ‘Flying Sikh’ died aged 91 just months before Chopra’s historic feat.
“It was an overwhelming experience of fulfilling the wish of legendary athlete Milkha Singh, who has inspired so many people of this country. He has made our country proud on so many occasions and it’s really important to remember him at such a big event,” Neeraj said.
“It was his dream to see an Indian athlete winning gold at the Olympics. I remembered his words at that moment and I wished that he should have been with us to see his dream coming true,” he added.
When asked what his gold medal will mean for the sport of Javelin throw in India, Neeraj said that the children have been inspired by him.
“As an athlete, the year 2021 has been really great for me, I made a promising start to my Olympics with a gold medal and for Indian sports, both Olympics and Paralympics were great this year. We faced some issues due to COVID but still, 2021 had been a memorable year for sports,” said Neeraj.
“It felt great to win the gold. It was my dream since childhood to play at the Olympics and win the gold. Because of me, Javelin is getting a lot of recognition these days. Opportunities have been created for the younger generations now. Earlier, children didn’t know how to start playing Javelin but now things have changed and a lot of people are interested in this sport,” he added.
Even though he recalls the past year as fond memories, Neeraj is happy to live the ‘life of an athlete again.’
Explaining his routine, he said: “I eat my breakfast at 7.30 in the morning, then practice and take some rest after lunch. Practice again in the evening. I practice twice a day. I have fun training. Life is very simple, that way.”
When asked about what he hopes in the coming years for Indian sports, Neeraj said that ‘elite’ athletes of India get to take part in international event more often and youngsters are exposed to sports and have equal access and opportunity to play – even to be fit or take it up as a livelihood.
Even though he is not ready to comment on whether he will be able to participate in the National Championship in March, or if the expectations will get to him when he takes to the field again, Neeraj is just eager to back at it and test himself all over again.
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