"This is the best prepared I've ever been...": Neeraj ahead of Paris Olympics 2024

KOLKATA: Indian world champion and Olympic gold medalist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra said that ahead of Paris Olympics to be held this year, he feels at the very top preparation-wise and his best is yet to come. Neeraj, who is one of India's top medal prospects for the Paris Olympics 2024, where he will be defending his javelin throw title, was speaking on RevSportz Trailblazers Conclave 2.0 in Kolkata on Wednesday.

Indian Olympic gold medalist shooter Abhinav Bindra, Neeraj, Indian cricket icon Sourav Ganguly and Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adille Sumariwalla were the speakers. Boria Majumdar was the moderator of this session.

Joining through a video link from South Africa, Neeraj said he will be in the best shape for Paris 2024.

"I am training hard and feeling good. I feel I am yet to perform to the best of my abilities. I also get a feeling that this is the best prepared I have ever been. It will get better in the days to come. Competition will be tough. A young German has recently cleared 90m. And I will be defending my title. I enjoy this competition," said Neeraj. There was talk on achievements, preparations and of course, handling pressure. Bindra said this is unavoidable at the highest level. "There will be pressure. Nobody likes it. The point is, you have to accept it. An athlete has to learn to coexist with pressure and find out a way to work with it. That can come only with acceptance and adaptability."

Ganguly said the best way to strive for success is to get used to the grind. "It is like a board exam, for which you do not prepare for three days but for an entire year. It becomes part of your system. You are well prepared, then there is no panic. And this is no rocket science. You have to keep doing the same thing every day.

Also, one has to switch off at times." Sumariwalla, the president of the Athletics Federation of India, said his job is to create a support system for players. "An athlete must feel secure that his requirements are taken care of so that he or she can concentrate on what they are doing. We give them that and expect them to do their best. It may or may not result in a medal. We have to work on creating bench strength as well," said the AFI president.