NEW DELHI: Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra is aiming to remain “injury-free” as he gears up for a long and gruelling season ahead — which includes the upcoming athletics World Championships and his title defence of Diamond League Finals and Asian Games.
Neeraj, who made an impressive return to the field winning the Diamond League javelin throw title in Lausanne with a best throw of 87.66m on Friday night, admitted on Monday that he was unsure about participating in Lausanne, partly because of injury concerns and for not being at his peak fitness level. The elite Indian athlete has just recovered from a muscle strain which kept him out of the competition arena for almost a month,
“Overall, my fitness level was a bit low in Lausanne. Because of the injury, there was a question mark on my mind too, whether I was 100 percent fit, whether I wanted to push myself or not. I need to improve my fitness, work on it through training so that I can give my best at the World Championships and fulfil the dream of winning the gold there. I will not say I am happy but I am satisfied with my (Friday’s) throw under the circumstances – weather and the fact that I am coming back from injury,” Neeraj told the media during a virtual interaction facilitated by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
Neeraj, who is a Target Olympic Podium Scheme’s (TOPS) core athlete, has been mostly training abroad since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Since the Games, he has trained in the USA, Turkey, Finland, Sweden, Germany, UK, South Africa and Switzerland under the government funding of nearly Rs 1.5 crore.
The 24-year-old informed that he would be protecting himself from injury with three major competitions lined up in short duration – the Budapest Worlds in August, Diamond League Finals in Eugene in September and Asian Games in Hangzhou in October.
“I have to go with 100 percent fitness in these events. If I am not physically fit, I will also not be mentally ready. The mental aspect is as important as physical fitness. There is a lot of time now to work on these areas. I need to go to the World Championships with a fresh mindset and perfect fitness. I will do whatever is required for a gold at the Worlds,” he said.
Asked how much the Asian Games postponement would affect his off-season recovery before he starts preparing for the Paris Olympics in 2024, Neeraj conceded he will get very little time to rest. “Yes, the postponement of the Asian Games to this year means the season will drag a bit late, but there is still enough time for Paris. It means I will have to get back to training earlier and maintain my fitness during the short break. I have to forget about the off-season break and keep working at my fitness and technique to go on till Paris,” he said.
“My physio has made an assessment and we all feel that I can now up the ante and go full throttle in my preparations,” he added.
Neeraj revealed that he had put on a couple of kilograms during the month-long injury break. “I had gained one or two kilograms but that was not the reason why I was a bit slow (in his run-up) in the first round (in Lausanne). It was because of the mind… It was the fear of aggravating the injury, not the weight. I spoke to my coach (Dr Klaus Bartonietz) and then increased my speed in the fifth round (which produced the title winning throw),” he said.
Neeraj, who made an impressive return to the field winning the Diamond League javelin throw title in Lausanne with a best throw of 87.66m on Friday night, admitted on Monday that he was unsure about participating in Lausanne, partly because of injury concerns and for not being at his peak fitness level. The elite Indian athlete has just recovered from a muscle strain which kept him out of the competition arena for almost a month,
“Overall, my fitness level was a bit low in Lausanne. Because of the injury, there was a question mark on my mind too, whether I was 100 percent fit, whether I wanted to push myself or not. I need to improve my fitness, work on it through training so that I can give my best at the World Championships and fulfil the dream of winning the gold there. I will not say I am happy but I am satisfied with my (Friday’s) throw under the circumstances – weather and the fact that I am coming back from injury,” Neeraj told the media during a virtual interaction facilitated by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
Neeraj, who is a Target Olympic Podium Scheme’s (TOPS) core athlete, has been mostly training abroad since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Since the Games, he has trained in the USA, Turkey, Finland, Sweden, Germany, UK, South Africa and Switzerland under the government funding of nearly Rs 1.5 crore.
The 24-year-old informed that he would be protecting himself from injury with three major competitions lined up in short duration – the Budapest Worlds in August, Diamond League Finals in Eugene in September and Asian Games in Hangzhou in October.
“I have to go with 100 percent fitness in these events. If I am not physically fit, I will also not be mentally ready. The mental aspect is as important as physical fitness. There is a lot of time now to work on these areas. I need to go to the World Championships with a fresh mindset and perfect fitness. I will do whatever is required for a gold at the Worlds,” he said.
Asked how much the Asian Games postponement would affect his off-season recovery before he starts preparing for the Paris Olympics in 2024, Neeraj conceded he will get very little time to rest. “Yes, the postponement of the Asian Games to this year means the season will drag a bit late, but there is still enough time for Paris. It means I will have to get back to training earlier and maintain my fitness during the short break. I have to forget about the off-season break and keep working at my fitness and technique to go on till Paris,” he said.
“My physio has made an assessment and we all feel that I can now up the ante and go full throttle in my preparations,” he added.
Neeraj revealed that he had put on a couple of kilograms during the month-long injury break. “I had gained one or two kilograms but that was not the reason why I was a bit slow (in his run-up) in the first round (in Lausanne). It was because of the mind… It was the fear of aggravating the injury, not the weight. I spoke to my coach (Dr Klaus Bartonietz) and then increased my speed in the fifth round (which produced the title winning throw),” he said.
