Away from her home and the hustle and bustle of “wedding season,” the 24-year-old Olympic gold medalist is with her coach at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center in San Diego, California. Klaus Bartonitz and physiotherapists Ishaan Marwah, on a 90-day training regime. and in Neeraj ChopraThe vision of the elusive 90m mark he intends to break this season.
Taking gold in Tokyo with his second throw of 87.58m in the Olympic final, Neeraj is aiming to improve his distance with some of the biggest sporting events – the World Championships. Diamond League, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games – scheduled for 2022, even with the threat of Covid in the background. And he’s happy to be back in athlete rule at the 153-acre elite training center.
“It was getting very cold in Patiala. And the wedding season had also started there (in India),” says Neeraj, smiling during a virtual conversation from California on Thursday. “But I am happy to be back in athlete’s life here. The weather is better here and although I know the situation is getting worse elsewhere, the COVID situation here is still not that bad.”
The post-Olympic confusion in the country that won its first athletics gold olympics It had an impact on the athlete through Neeraj. Unnecessarily attending honors and indulging in a non-athlete lifestyle took a toll on his fitness.
“After coming back from the Olympics, I had no restrictions on eating. I ate everything from sweets to whatever I liked and I gained 12-13 kg. So it was very difficult to come back to training. Since The body was going in, I had to mentally push myself more each time,” he reflected.
“Now things are getting better and I have lost 5-6 kg. I have been doing fitness and endurance training for the past few weeks that I am here and hopefully I can get back to javelin training soon.”
But breaking the 90m mark is a feat that very few people in the sport have achieved, including his nearest rival and world number 1 Johannes Vetter, who has a personal best and world record of 97.76m. But the Indian sports icon is determined to better his performance.
“It’s not about changing my technique to gain the mark. Instead, I have to work on improving my technique further. For example, I can work on improving my explosiveness and core strength Speed is also something I can improve on,” he said. Explained. “My coaches say that if I focus more on technique, I can consistently cross the 90m mark.”
Neeraj also reflected on the unforgettable moment when India found its name on the biggest sporting stage and the national anthem was being played at the medal ceremony, a dream that the great sportsperson had. Milkha Singh shared throughout life.
“It was a tremendous experience fulfilling the wish of the legendary athlete Milkha Singh who has inspired so many people in this country. It is really important to remember him at such a big event. It was his dream to see an Indian athlete win a gold medal. It was. Olympics. I remembered his words at that time and wished he would be with us to see his dream come true.”
But the frenzy of India being India’s first gold medalist in athletics hasn’t overwhelmed the athlete, who keeps on interacting with people and having a social media presence.
He said, “My family definitely played a part in dealing with this situation. But on a personal level, I believe that people are coming to me lovingly and it is my responsibility to give them time.” ” “And it’s nice to see more kids coming to the javelin after my win.”
But Neeraj wants more steps to be taken to improve the game in the country. “Elite athletes should get more events to participate in. Exposure helps motivate them to do better. And kids who are coming should get facilities. There should be more equipment available and to guide them.” There should be coaches for that.”
And hopefully the country can produce more athletes like him, while the 24-year-old aims to improve on his Olympic glory.
Taking gold in Tokyo with his second throw of 87.58m in the Olympic final, Neeraj is aiming to improve his distance with some of the biggest sporting events – the World Championships. Diamond League, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games – scheduled for 2022, even with the threat of Covid in the background. And he’s happy to be back in athlete rule at the 153-acre elite training center.
“It was getting very cold in Patiala. And the wedding season had also started there (in India),” says Neeraj, smiling during a virtual conversation from California on Thursday. “But I am happy to be back in athlete’s life here. The weather is better here and although I know the situation is getting worse elsewhere, the COVID situation here is still not that bad.”
The post-Olympic confusion in the country that won its first athletics gold olympics It had an impact on the athlete through Neeraj. Unnecessarily attending honors and indulging in a non-athlete lifestyle took a toll on his fitness.
“After coming back from the Olympics, I had no restrictions on eating. I ate everything from sweets to whatever I liked and I gained 12-13 kg. So it was very difficult to come back to training. Since The body was going in, I had to mentally push myself more each time,” he reflected.
“Now things are getting better and I have lost 5-6 kg. I have been doing fitness and endurance training for the past few weeks that I am here and hopefully I can get back to javelin training soon.”
But breaking the 90m mark is a feat that very few people in the sport have achieved, including his nearest rival and world number 1 Johannes Vetter, who has a personal best and world record of 97.76m. But the Indian sports icon is determined to better his performance.
“It’s not about changing my technique to gain the mark. Instead, I have to work on improving my technique further. For example, I can work on improving my explosiveness and core strength Speed is also something I can improve on,” he said. Explained. “My coaches say that if I focus more on technique, I can consistently cross the 90m mark.”
Neeraj also reflected on the unforgettable moment when India found its name on the biggest sporting stage and the national anthem was being played at the medal ceremony, a dream that the great sportsperson had. Milkha Singh shared throughout life.
“It was a tremendous experience fulfilling the wish of the legendary athlete Milkha Singh who has inspired so many people in this country. It is really important to remember him at such a big event. It was his dream to see an Indian athlete win a gold medal. It was. Olympics. I remembered his words at that time and wished he would be with us to see his dream come true.”
But the frenzy of India being India’s first gold medalist in athletics hasn’t overwhelmed the athlete, who keeps on interacting with people and having a social media presence.
He said, “My family definitely played a part in dealing with this situation. But on a personal level, I believe that people are coming to me lovingly and it is my responsibility to give them time.” ” “And it’s nice to see more kids coming to the javelin after my win.”
But Neeraj wants more steps to be taken to improve the game in the country. “Elite athletes should get more events to participate in. Exposure helps motivate them to do better. And kids who are coming should get facilities. There should be more equipment available and to guide them.” There should be coaches for that.”
And hopefully the country can produce more athletes like him, while the 24-year-old aims to improve on his Olympic glory.
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