Advertisement

Updated July 11th, 2021 at 17:48 IST

India's Neeraj Chopra 'positive' for Tokyo Olympics, opens up on challenges amid COVID

Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra said that his build-up for the Tokyo Olympics games has been quite challenging due to a lack of exposure to competitive games.

Reported by: Kamal Joshi
Neeraj Chopra
Credits: PTI/AP | Image:self
Advertisement

India's premier javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra revealed that his build-up for the Tokyo Olympics games had been quite challenging due to a lack of exposure to competitive games but maintained that he was trying to stay positive for the marquee sporting event.

"I had a new experience in Finland. During the run-up, I felt the real experience of top-level competition, the kind of natural feeling which gives you the best performance comes after you take part a lot of world-class events. For me, that was the only time," Neeraj Chopra said.

Chopra won the bronze medal with a dazzling performance of 86.79m in the Kuortane Games in Finland earlier in June. In that competition, Germany's Johannes Vetter, who is considered as Olympics gold favourite, won the gold medal with a throw of 93.59m.

Talking about COVID-19 brought challenges, Chopra said, "I did not get good international competitions when I wanted and there had to be several changes in training and competition schedule. But, I am in a positive frame of mind because a lot depends on the performance of the day. I am just hoping to give my best and realise my dream of winning gold for the country."

Neeraj Chopra will skip the London Diamond League scheduled for July 13 due to logistics issues. "Getting the UK visa (to take part at Gateshead) was difficult for Indians due to COVID-19 situation in India. So, I decided to miss the Diamond League. There is no time for competition now," he said.

The 23-year-old javelin thrower is training in Sweden until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He is accompanied by India's foreign coach and biomechanical expert Klaus Bartonietz, and physio Ishaan Marwaha.

Neeraj Chopra's road to Tokyo Olympics

India's Neeraj Chopra qualified for the Olympic games in January 2020 in South Africa.

After that, Chopra was not able to participate in international events due to the outbreak of the COVID pandemic. He restarted his campaign in Lisbon on June 10, where he won the gold medal. The javelin thrower also won the Karlstad Grand Prix on June 22. The Indian star thrower recorded his personal best (88.07m) in March in Patiala.

Meanwhile, the Tokyo Olympics games will be held from July 23 to August 8 in 2021. The preliminary round for the men's Javelin throw event will take place on August 4 while the final is scheduled for August 6. 

Advertisement

Published July 11th, 2021 at 17:48 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending Quicks

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo