I know I will throw 90, but consistency is more important: Neeraj
It is not easy being Neeraj Chopra. Even in the presence of some of the biggest names in world athletics, the spotlight remains rmly on him every time he gets ready to compete. It was no dierent on the eve of the Doha Diamond League on Thursday as Neeraj declared he was ready and raring to start his Olympic title defence at the season-opener here.
Flanked by reigning Olympic champions Steven Gardiner (400m), Miltiadis Tentoglou (long jump) and pole vault world champion Nina Kennedy, it was a largely Neeraj Chopra
show and the 27-year old admitted, for perhaps the rst time, that the Olympic or World Championships arena does matter.
“You don’t feel it at that moment but you realise it later, when you leave the place, that it was a dierent feeling. In my mind, and in my performances, the aim is to push myself to the limit every time. But Olympics is very rare,” he admitted in an exclusive interaction with The Hindu, reecting on why records are often made or broken elsewhere.
“There are ve Diamond League meets in a year, that’s 20 chances to set a record or get a new mark in four years but only one Olympics. That in itself is a pressure thing. You have to adjust and manage your body, mind, everything to be working together perfectly at that level at that particular time to get a good result. Which is why I think even historically, many legendary athletes faltered.
“If you see Jan Zelezny or Thomas Rohler who otherwise had great performances but could not do it in the Olympics. I also felt it in Tokyo, the pressure of the moment and the arena... you know in your mind where you are standing and competing. It is not easy, but it’s not impossible either,” he insisted. The 90m question did pop up, yet again, and Neeraj deected it in style, yet again, while throwing down the gauntlet for his competitors. “Preparations have been good, I had a good session in the morning also and I am ready for tomorrow [Friday]. I have been stuck between 8890m and I really want to break this barrier. But my focus is to stay healthy and be consistent. This is one of my strong points, one of my greatest weapons. I know I will throw 90, but consistency is more important,” he declared.
And his secret to keeping that weapon deadly is in his training. While his social media videos and reels only exhibit the physical workout Neeraj puts into his training sessions, the real deal is in what isn’t seen.
“The most important thing is to be very clear of your target in your mind during training. I am always aware that I have won the Olympics and World Championships.
“I know that my introduction at every competition, till Paris at least, will be as the current World and Olympic champion. There is the added responsibility of handling it the right way. For others, it is a motivation to reach there. For me, it is a responsibility to handle it carefully,” Neeraj explained.
Neeraj says he’s prepared and ready for the upcoming challenges.