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Indian javelin ace Neeraj Chopra feels that any throw that touches at least the 91m-mark will be good enough to bring a medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
After missing the entire 2019 season due to an elbow injury, Chopra returned with a bang last year. At the ACNE League in Potchefstroom, he achieved a distance of 87.86m to make the Tokyo Olympics cut.
One of Neeraj’s main competitors in Tokyo, Germany's Johannes Vetter, has been in top form in 2021. He eclipsed the Indian’s personal best of 88.07m quite a few times before hurling his spear to an astonishing 91.50m in Offenburg at his training base last month.
Even though Vetter will be one of the top contenders for the Tokyo Olympic gold, Neeraj Chopra himself is confident of crossing the 90m-mark at the Games. But he is also aware that it all depends on how the athlete's body responds on the day of the competition.
“Currently, Germany’s Johannes Vetter is constantly throwing above the 90m-mark. It all depends on how the body of the athletes functions on the given day but to win a medal at Olympics, I think a 91m or 92m throw would be good enough,” Neeraj Chopra said in a virtual media interaction facilitated by Sports Authority of India (SAI).
Neeraj Chopra in dire need of international competition
The last time Neeraj Chopra was in action at the international level was in the 2020 ACNE League in Potchefstroom. Since then, the only competitions Neeraj Chopra had were in the form of the Indian Grand Prix III and Federation Cup earlier this year.
The 23-year-old, who is currently training at NIS Patiala, pointed out that training alone will not help him gauge his level. For that, he desperately needs to test himself against the world's best in competitions.
“The training has been going good here in Patiala. But what I need most at this point of time is competitions. Being an athlete, the only thing we know is to perform on the field. Like the way training is important to us, in the same way, we also need competitions,” he rued.
With the second wave of COVID-19 wreaking havoc in India, it has hampered preparations for many Tokyo Olympic-bound athletes. Neeraj Chopra was no exception as his training-cum-competition tour to Turkey had to be suspended as the athletes would need to serve a 14-day quarantine upon arrival.
“I need international exposure again because I couldn’t compete for majority of 2019 due to injury. The COVID pandemic lockdown took all of 2020. And now this second wave has come in again. The saddest part is that in India we don’t get competitions. Abroad, there is a competition every two-three weeks which helps us to remain in the zone,” explained Neeraj Chopra.
Neeraj Chopra urges for an indoor facility in India
The Asian Games champion has also requested the concerned authorities for an indoor facility for track and field athletes in India to train undisturbed during extreme conditions. With Patiala being very hot and exhausting during summer (April-June), it often takes a toll on the athletes.
“Weather plays an important part in Patiala because the temperature is always high at this time of the year. As athletes we don’t give excuses because it’s our job to perform in any adverse conditions. I have also told this earlier that we need to have an indoor facility for athletics in India,” Neeraj Chopra said.
“If you check, the smallest of the countries in the world have a compulsory indoor facility. I believe, we too at least should have one in Patiala so that we can train undisturbed the whole year,” concluded Chopra.
