Qualifying for Olympics major target during rehab: Neeraj

Ace India javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Wednesday said qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics was his "major target" as he was recovering from an elbow injury.

Neeraj qualified with a throw of 87.86m at the Athletics Central North East meeting in South Africa.

"I am extremely pleased with the performance. Going into the competition, I did not try to put much pressure on myself and was keen to test myself as it was my first meet in a long time.

"The warm-up throws went very well, and even though my first three throws were around the 81-82m mark, I felt there were some flaws I could work on," Chopra said from Potchefstroom after the meet.

"This was a major target for me during my rehab and I'm happy to have qualified. I will now get back to my regular training here in Potchefstroom with my coach and physio in a few days' time and continue my training towards the Olympics."

Neeraj's last major international competition was the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games last August where he won gold with a national record of 88.06m. He said he will now focus on competing in more high quality competitions at the Federation Cup and the Diamond League circuit.

"I will look to compete more in the coming months and am looking forward to more high quality competition at the Federation Cup and the Diamond League circuit."

"It's been a difficult time over the past year, but I knew I was preparing myself to come back stronger. I am extremely grateful for all the support and guidance I've received from all quarters and I am committed to come back stronger and make the country proud," he added.