star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra Became only the second Indian to win an individual gold at the Olympics, immortalizing himself as the first track-and-field Games medalist for the country. The 23-year-old son of a farmer from Khandara village near Panipat in Haryana stunned the athletics world by producing a second round throw of 87.58m in the javelin final, ending India’s 100-year wait for a track and field medal at the Olympics. done. . With hardly any nervous confidence on display in his debut at the Games, Chopra walked like a rockstar to deliver India’s best ever Olympic outing at the Tokyo Games, the country’s last competitive outing at Tokyo 2020.
After the historic gold medal, News18.com Caught up with Neeraj Chopra for an exclusive interview.
Part:
What’s it like to be India’s first track and field medalist? How important do you think this gold medal will be for Indian athletics?
It feels really good to win India’s first medal in track and field and that too gold. It was amazing, can’t be described in words. It was really a proud moment when the national anthem was being played and I was standing on the podium with the gold medal. Feel that we will do well in athletics in the times to come.
You dedicated your medal to Milkha Singh ji. What was your idea behind this?
I have seen a lot of videos of Milkha Singh ji and he said that we Indians should go to Olympics and give our best, because in the past we missed out on medals. It was his dream and he is no longer with us. I had that on my mind and when I won and the national anthem was played. I realized that I have made her dream come true and that of PT Usha ma’am too and she must have been really happy too.
During the final on Saturday, what was going through your mind after each throw? When did you start to feel that you could actually win a medal, and that too a gold?
I was just thinking of doing my best. I know I didn’t do my best and couldn’t break the national record. Javelin throw is a very technical sport and I didn’t want to disrupt my rhythm till the last throw but it’s okay that I couldn’t do my best.
How good does this medal feel after the way the last 3 years have been? You missed 2019 due to injury and then got hit by the pandemic. How does it feel now to see those years and the efforts you put in at that time?
Olympic gold has made up for the lapses caused by injury and the coronavirus pandemic in 2019. Yes, the last few years have not been the best, but after winning a medal and that too gold, what happened made up for it. It was fine then
What did your coach Klaus tell you before the final on Saturday? Have you talked to anyone before? your family or friend?
Coach Klaus told me to throw on my first attempt, just like I did in qualification. Spoke to my uncle and my senior Jaiveer, they told me that just give your best, it will be good. He was very happy after winning my gold.
You have been training with Klaus for 2 years. How much has he played in your journey to the top of the Olympic podium? How was he different from Uwe Hon?
I have been training with Coach Klaus since 2019. I have learned a lot from him, his technique and his training plan. I was with Coach Hawn in 2018 and I worked on my strengths a lot but I felt his technique was a little different. When I worked with Coach Klaus and I liked his technique. Every coach is different and their method of coaching is also different. I would like to thank Uwe sir and Klaus sir who taught me with passion and heart and because of them I have now won the Olympic gold medal.
Standing on top of the Olympic podium, listening to Jana Gana Mana and watching the national flag unfurl. How was that feeling? What was going through your mind?
Standing in the middle of the Olympic podium, wearing a gold medal around my neck, watching the Indian flag go up and the national anthem being played – the feeling is that, all the hard work and the problem goes away from the mind. I can’t possibly describe it in words, it was such a feeling.
What is the next target for athlete Neeraj Chopra now?
I will celebrate this gold at home but start training and if given a chance, I will play any competition in this season, or else I will focus on Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World Championship.
You are getting a lot of attention on social media and you have got millions of new followers in the past. After becoming a social media star, how do you see this new attention now?
I noticed that I got a lot of new followers especially after Gold. I sometimes post on my drills and throws from competitions. It’s nice when people greet you. I agree that social media is good but I try to keep my focus on my game but I also enjoy it from time to time.
Your mother says she is waiting at home with Churma! What are your plans on returning to India? What would you like to spend the next few weeks doing?
I want to go home and eat mother’s cooked food, whatever it may be. Will celebrate a little with family but will return to training soon.
There are many people in your journey who have worked behind the scenes. Who would you like to remember playing a part in your journey from Khandara to Tokyo?
I would like to thank everyone who supported me. TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme), SAI (Sports Authority of India), Federation has a huge role to play in the journey, especially my sponsor JSW who is supporting me since 2015. Indian Army also helped me.
People are saying that you should play yourself in your biopic! What do you think about it, and if not you, who would you like to see play on screen?
I’m concentrating on the javelin throw, not really thinking about it. But want to do even better so that more stories can be made. I want to finish my career first and when I retire, a film can be made.
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