Neeraj Chopra: 'Sometimes the distance doesn't matter, the title does'

Neeraj Chopra breached the 89.0m mark thrice in the 2022 athletics season. He registered a personal best and national record of 89.30m at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland. Soon after, he better it at the Stockholm Diamond League by throwing his spear a distance of 89.94m. He also clinched top spot at Lausanne Diamond League with a throw of 89.08m.

The star Indian athlete has since not been able match that distance but the achievements have still been remarkable. He won the Doha and Lausanne Diamond League meets and last week clinched the gold medal at the World Athletics Championships.

“Distance only matters when the medal is not to your liking. But if you’re getting a gold medal, then distance doesn’t matter. For me that is most important. I thought I would make great distance this time around but just when things looking up, injury disrupted things. I had an injury in May due to which I had to skip a couple of competitions. Slowly I worked on reaching fitness, with rehabilitation and returned at the Lausanne Diamond League followed by World Athletics Championships. The plans of which events to compete in didn’t work out,” said Neeraj in a media interaction on Friday.

“I’m not pleased with the distance this year. Last year, I had hit 89m in three different competitions, this year I’ve averaged 88m. But on the upside, there is a gold medal at the World Championships which makes up for it. Sometimes, the distance doesn’t matter, the title does. You should never be happy with the distance and should always work towards improving it. The aim should also be to remain injury free,” he added.

The 25-year-old posted best throws of 88.67m in Doha, 87.66m in Lausanne, 88.17m in Budapest and 85.71m in Zurich on Thursday.

Chopra conceded there was fatigue factor in play in Zurich, Switzerland. There was also an acknowledgement that he had already qualified for the finals in Eugene (16-17 September).

Neeraj didn’t quite hit his stride immediately at the Zurich Diamond League. He started with a throw of 80.79m followed by two foul attempts. “There was fatigue, yes, but there was also acknowledgement that there was no need to push yourself. I had already qualified for the Diamond League finals.

“Maybe for the first time I needed these many warm-up throws. I did regular warm-up for a while and then with the javelin as well. It was tricky getting used to the conditions. I struggled in the first three throws, I wasn’t able to run properly. I didn’t think I was ready. By the fourth throw, I had to push myself to do enough to be competitive. The aim here was mostly to remain competitive.”

Neeraj Chopra stressed repeatedly on injury being a factor that could hamper his growth. “It is important to understand your body, knowing where your limits are. You might push yourself in one competition but things could break down in the next. It is important to know when to go all out even if not fully fit.”

“I will work on recovery for two days and then train here for 10-12 days. I wasn’t quite feeling well in Budapest also. There’s a bit of groin strain, slight shoulder issue.. but I will work towards recovery now before the final two competitions of the season.”

There’s little time between two key competitions – Eugene Diamond League in the USA on 16-17 September and Asian Games in Hangzhou, China from September 10-25. Chopra is focused on being fit not just for this season but for all-important Olympics next year.

“Before the Asian Games, there is the Eugene Diamond League finals and there is very little time available. There is plenty of travel involved followed by time difference so the focus is on doing well at both competitions and remaining injury free. It is important to remain healthy and fit so as to start work on the next season quickly and in good condition.”

Chopra will be the defending champion at the Paris Olympics next year. For him, the target is to emulate legendary Czech Republic javelin thrower Jan Zelezny, who won three Olympics and three World Championships titles. Zelezny, also Chopra’s idol, clinched Olympic golds in 1992, 1996 and 2000 while winning World Championships in 1993, 1995 and 2001.