04 July,2023 07:37 AM IST | Mumbai | Ashwin Ferro
Neeraj Chopra after winning the javelin throw at the Lausanne Diamond League recently. Pic/Getty Images
India's Tokyo Olympics gold medal-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra continues to be his humble, down-to-earth self despite cementing his superstar status by winning almost every event he has participated in since.
On Monday, he sat through nearly an hour (55 minutes to be precise) of what was originally scheduled to be a 30-minute chat with select journalists during an online interaction organised by the Sports Authority of India media team. He patiently answered in detail all questions that came his way, some even repetitive. He even made an attempt to educate the scribes as he clarified that winners of the Diamond League are not awarded medals.
"Kuch nahi milta jee [you don't get anything]," he said with a smile, explaining that the winners of the various Diamond Leagues held across the world year-round are awarded points with which they qualify for the eventual final, where they receive a trophy and cash award.
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Throughout the chat, however, Chopra, stressed that he is fully focussed on improving his fitness, having recently recovered from a muscle strain injury to hurl his spear across 87.66m, bagging the top spot at Lausanne. He also accepted that he has put on some weight. "Oh, was I looking bulky," he asked in reply to a question about his physique. "Yes, I have put on a kg or two as I'm coming off a month-long injury break. But when I get back to my full fitness, things will be better. I have to get a lot fitter and mentally stronger for the World Championships [August 19 to 27 at Budapest, Hungary]," said Chopra.
Having ruled Asia and the Olympic Games, a gold medal at the World Championships is the only big prize missing from his overflowing trophy cabinet, and Chopra knows that only too well. "All the other golds are there, but a World Championship gold is missing. Thankfully, I have enough points to qualify for the Diamond League final [before Lausanne, Chopra won the Diamond League season-opener in Doha with a throw of 88.67m], so I can completely focus on the World Championships now. I will put in my best and work hard to try to win the gold this time," said Chopra, who won a silver at the 2022 edition in Eugene, USA, with a throw of 88.13m.
No conversation with Chopra ends without a query on that elusive 90m mark.
"I believe the 90m throw is not very far away, but as long as I'm winning a competition in a field that features the world's best athletes, I'm not worried about anything else. After the World Championships, there are competitions every two weeks - the Zurich Diamond League in August-end and then the Asian Games in September, so I have to stay fit. That's my priority," he concluded.
