‘Humongous pressure’: Neeraj Chopra on participating in back-to-back events

That’s what javelin champ Neeraj Chopra says he will have to cope with when it comes to future events like the Olympics

India’s Olympic gold medal-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has insisted that it is not easy for an athlete to peak when one participates in back-to-back events. He won the World Athletics Championships gold last Sunday and then settled for a silver (85.71m) at the Zurich Diamond League on Thursday. Chopra is well aware of the pressure he will endure to defend his title at next year’s Paris Olympics. And before that, he needs to give his best at the Hangzhou Asian Games (September 23 to October 8). 

“It was a big challenge to win the first Olympic gold medal [in Tokyo]. But to defend my title is going to be a much bigger one [challenge] since everybody will come prepared. The pressure on me will be humongous—much more than in Tokyo because there will be a lot more expectations. 

Mental preparation crucial

“I have my own expectations, but the most important thing for me will be to stay injury-free. Also, there is less time between the Eugene Diamond League [September 16-17] and Asian Games. Both competitions are important. I need to do well at the Asian Games too and for that, I need to prepare mentally,” Chopra said during an online interaction conducted by JSW Sports on Friday.

When asked if he can emulate his idol and legendary Czech Republic athlete Jan Zelezny, who won three Olympics and three World Championships titles, Chopra replied: “Everything is possible if I remain motivated and focussed on my game. My endeavour would be to defend my title [at the Paris Olympics] and do all the hard work that is needed to achieve that goal.”

On Sunday, Chopra, 25, became only the third javelin thrower in history to hold both the Olympic and World Championships titles after his gold in Budapest. Before Chopra, Zelezny and Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway held the Olympics and World Championships titles respectively. Zelezny had won the Olympic gold in 1992, 1996 and 2000 while clinching World Championships titles in 1993, 1995 and 2001. Thorkildsen won a gold at the Beijing Olympics and emerged victorious at the 2009 World Championships. 

Also Read: Neeraj Chopra: The spear superman of Indian athletics

Talking about how difficult it is to peak, Chopra remarked: “Even if you are in good form, there is a lot of performance pressure and it becomes difficult to peak within such a short time [two or three days]. I prefer a gap of one or two weeks between two competitions in order to give my body some time to recover. As an athlete, you cannot be your best all the time. I am learning from other athletes that one need not push hard in all events, and that distance doesn’t always matter. For example, I am happy with the silver I won in Zurich though it was not my best performance.”

Battling health issues 

The Indian further explained how he was not in the best of health before the recent Worlds, but chose not to speak about it then. “I did not want to talk about this earlier because people may think I was giving an excuse. But I had cough and a sore throat before the qualification rounds. I was having problems. I had the same problem in Zurich, but I will be alright. An athlete’s life is such, you can’t complain,” he said.

Was competing with myself, not Neeraj: Arshad 

Pakistan’s World Championships silver medallist javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem does not consider Indian gold winner Neeraj Chopra as his main rival, saying he competes with himself. Nadeem on Sunday became the first athlete from Pakistan to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, while Olympic champion Chopra won the gold. 

Asked if Chopra was his main rival in the World Championships, Nadeem said, “No. I myself is the only competitor to Arshad Nadeem. I did not think I was competing to win against anybody.” Chopra won gold with a throw of 88.17m while reigning Commonwealth Games gold medallist Nadeem took the silver with his season’s best throw of 87.82m.

Sreeshankar qualifies for final

India Murali Sreeshankar has qualified for the Diamond League final after finishing fifth (best attempt: 7.99m) in the men’s long jump. He accumulated 14 points (6+4+4) from the three Diamond League events he participated. The Eugene Diamond League finals is scheduled for September 16-17.

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