Want to be better than before technically: Neeraj Chopra

MUMBAI: Star India javelin thrower and Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra said on Monday that he aims to be technically better than before and has learnt to manage pressure and focus, perform at high-profile events like the Olympics over the years he has spent in his sport. Neeraj will begin his 2023 athletics season on May 5 in the Doha Diamond League. He is the current Diamond League champion. He became the first Indian athlete to win the prized trophy when he won it in September of last year at the finals in Zurich.

The Doha leg of the Diamond League, which will be contested at the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium in Qatar, is where the Indian javelin-throwing ace will attempt to defend his title this year. Neeraj Chopra will compete in the Doha, Lausanne, Monaco, and Zurich legs of the 2023 Diamond League season in an effort to qualify for this year's finals in Eugene, US.

High-profile events like the Asian Games, starting from September 23 in China and the World Athletics Championships are also a part of Chopra's big 2023 season. "Preparation has been really good. We have been focusing on my strength. Now, we are working on the technical aspect and trying to fine-tune things before Doha (Diamond League). This is going to be a long season with the Asian Games in September-October, so I want to make myself technically better than before," Neeraj Chopra said to the Olympics.com.

He is also the current Asian Games champion, having secured a gold medal at the 2018 edition of the games in Jakarta, Indonesia. Neeraj had also won the silver medal at the World Athletics Championships held in Eugene, USA previous year and will be aiming for the gold this time. The 2023 edition of the championship is scheduled to be held in Budapest, Hungary from August 19 to August 27.

The Olympic champion, who is also India's national record holder in his discipline, has not competed at an event since his triumph at Zurich last year due to an injury. He had consequently missed the Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham from July to August last year. With the Paris 2024 Olympics coming, this season is a crucial one for Neeraj and is filled with heaps of expectations from fans.

"I know that the pressure and expectations will be high from Paris 2024 but all these years, I have learnt how to maintain myself and how to focus on big competitions and how to perform on the big platforms like the Olympics." "The last medal will motivate me for the next one, and the Tokyo Olympics medal has been a big motivation for the next Games," Neeraj Chopra concluded.

2022 was an amazing year for Neeraj. In June, he made a new national record and finished with a silver medal with a throw of 89.30 metres at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland, bettering his own previous national record of 88.07 meters which he had set in Patiala in March last year. In June again, he gave another sterling performance as he clinched gold in the 2022 Kuortane Games in Finland. Neeraj threw 86.69 m to clinch the top prize in tricky and wet conditions.

At the World Athletics Championships in July, Neeraj Chopra made history by becoming only the second Indian and the first male track and field athlete to take home a medal. He finished second and won the silver medal, realising his aim of winning a World medal with a throw of 88.13 metres. Anju Bobby George won a bronze medal for India in the long jump competition before Neeraj. In September, Chopra made history by becoming the first-ever Indian to win the prestigious Diamond League trophy, a top-tier athletics competition, achieving the best throw of 88.44 m to clinch one of the biggest wins of his career.

He now holds the male javelin record thanks to a throw in the Stockholm Diamond League that measured 89.94 metres, with which he broke his own record. He clinched a silver medal at the prestigious Diamond League meet in Stockholm and broke his own previous record.