Tribune News Service
Vinayak Padmadeo
New Delhi, January 7
Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has been on all the big podiums. The reigning Olympics champion has won gold in the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Diamond League Finals. Last year he completed his set of medals with silver at the World Championships.
Though he has become the biggest sporting icon of the country, courtesy his gold at the Tokyo Olympics, the lad from Khandra village in Haryana has not lost his countryside persona.
During a media interaction, the 25-year-old made it very clear that he follows the advice of a nutritionist only to an extent as he wants to retain his ‘desiness’.
“I speak to the nutritionist and take that input in my diet but I am of the belief that I do not want to stay away from ‘our’ kind of food,” Chopra said during an online interaction. “Right now I eat fruits, vegetables basically because they are low on fat. When I start training seriously, then we will add protein shake. Loughborough has a perfect diet for athletes and there are many options.”
He sometimes goes off-track and indulges himself. “We do not get rasgullas here so sometimes I eat ice cream. India has a lot of options when it comes to cheat diets,” Chopra said with a big grin, adding: “If I want to eat Indian food, I go out as there are a lot of Indian restaurants here.”
Currently in pre-season at England’s Loughborough University – ranked No. 1 in the world in terms of sports-related subjects – Chopra explained that he is currently working towards building throwing power and elbow strength. “Not throwing the javelin as of now as we are training indoors. I’m throwing the medicine ball, which has a weight of 8-9kg, to build on strength. When we move to South Africa later, then I will start training with the javelin,” he said.
Chopra is not sure when he would start the competition calendar but is very sure his workload will be designed by his coach, Dr Klaus Bartonietz, so that he performs well at the World Championships and Hangzhou Asian Games.
“I will take part in the World Championships and Diamond League for sure but I’m not sure when my season will start. There is the Asian Games in October and I’m not sure what is the (Covid) situation in China right now. I think I will start competing in May or June,” he said.
“My goal for this year is to give my all in training and try to better my personal best from 2022… Hopefully, this desire from you all that I cross the 90m mark will also be realised,” he added.
Chopra said he desperately wants to hit the mark of 90m. “It is a magical mark. It is one of the important milestones for the world’s best throwers. I’m near it and it is not a bother that I’m yet to get that mark,” he said. “I know I’m very near. Bhagwan ne kuch soch ke rakha hai, jab hona hoga ho jayega…”
Michael Johnson a fan
The legendary Michael Johnson, the only athlete to win both 200m and 400m gold at the Olympics, has come out as a Chopra admirer, applauding his athleticism on social media.
“He’s a javelin thrower! Olympic champion javelin thrower, but a javelin thrower. With sprinter/jumper movement!” Johnson said in a post along with a Chopra video he shared, and added with another video clip: “Some more amazing athleticism from @Neeraj_chopra1.”
Chopra said he was humbled by the praise. “I felt very good about his post. It gave me positive vibes. We have to run fast in javelin too. My late coach Garry Calvert used to tell us that we are athletes first and then javelin throwers. Jumping, sprinting and even lifting have to be learned perfectly,” he said.
“The great athlete that he is, he must have liked my technique,” he said of Johnson. “Maybe if I get to meet him, I’ll show him how I sprint as well!”
Toor headlines Asian Indoor C’ships squad
New Delhi: The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) today announced a 26-member Indian contingent to participate in the 10th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, to be held in Kazakhstan’s Asana from February 10 to 12. The team will comprise 13 male and as many female athletes, including Tokyo 2020 Olympian Tajinderpal Singh Toor and women’s national record-holding hurdler Jyothi Yarraji. In the last edition, India finished with six medals, including four silver and two bronze. PTi
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