Diamond League: No encore from Neeraj Chopra
Neeraj Chopra usually performs well in javelin competitions and if he does start off poorly, he quickly gets back on track. But the current Olympics and world champion did not perform well in the Zurich leg of the Diamond League yesterday. They started the competition with a disappointing throw of 80. 79 meters Then, they made two consecutive throws that were not valid. Chopra made a good comeback on his fifth attempt by throwing the javelin at a distance of 85. 22 meters This helped him secure the second position. After committing another violation, he threw the object further and reached a distance of 85. 71 meters, ensuring that he came in second place. Jakub Vadlejch from the Czech Republic had the best throw, reaching a distance of 85. 86 meters Julian Weber from Germany came in third place with a distance of 85. 04 meters Chopra explained that he couldn’t give his best performance in this competition because there wasn’t enough time between the World Championships in Budapest and the Zurich meet. Chopra compared it to participating in three competitions in just one week. During the qualification for the World Championships, I needed to get ready. It was just one toss, but it goes through the same steps. Then, during the end, I had to give my full effort. We had to go from Budapest to Zurich. We were all tired, but I wanted to make sure I stayed healthy and had fun during the competition,” he said. “In an event like this, we can relax since we’re not representing our country like in the World Championships. I wanted to join and have fun in the contest. Now I made it to the Diamond League Finals, but I didn’t push myself too hard so I could stay healthy,” he said. Chopra, the first Indian track and field athlete to win consecutive World Championships medals, also mentioned feeling tired. I was tired, yes. Yesterday, I did many practice throws to warm up my body. This might have had an influence on my performance. It took me some time to start feeling comfortable. I had a hard time with the first three throws because I couldn’t find the right pace in my approach. I didn’t feel fully ready for the competition. “I exerted extra effort during my last three attempts,” he explained. “I only had one practice session in Zurich. ” On the day I won in Budapest, I stayed up really late because there was a ceremony to receive my medal and I had to give a sample, so it was around three or four o’clock in the morning. We stayed there for a day and then we went to Zurich where we had a meeting, but it was tiring to travel so much,” he said. The next important competition where Chopra will participate is the Diamond League Finals in Eugene, USA, on September 16-17. After that, the Asian Games will start in Hangzhou, China, one week later. Chopra needs to figure out how to attend both events. There is very little time between the competitions. I need to get ready for both Eugene and the Asian Games. The most important thing is how long it takes to travel and this could cause issues. I need to give my best at the Diamond League Finals and the Asian Games, which are the last competitions for me this year. In simpler words, Neeraj Chopra said that even though he doesn’t have a lot of time, he needs to mentally prepare himself and be careful with his recovery and eating well. He also mentioned that the only way he can achieve the same success as his idol, Jan Zelezny, who won three gold medals in the Olympics for javelin throwing, is by staying focused and not getting injured. We can achieve it if we concentrate. Chopra said, “I really want to say those titles again and I am willing to do whatever it takes to make it possible. ” Winning for the first time was very difficult for me. But now there will be harder tasks in the future because everyone will be prepared. I will feel more stressed because people expect me to do well. “He said it is crucial to avoid getting hurt,” he added.
