Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, India’s golden boy in javelin throw, has acknowledged the challenges of balancing his stardom with his training and competition schedule. The 26-year-old superstar, who is also the reigning world and Asian Games champion, is set to kick off his season with the first leg of the Diamond League on Friday.
Chopra, who has spent the majority of the past few months training abroad in South Africa, Turkey, and Switzerland, expressed his desire to prioritize his sport over social obligations. “For me, my sport is more important,” he said. “It’s good for my profile if I play in India, but there are too many functions and marriage functions. I also want to join my family and friends, but more than that, I want to train in an Olympic year.”
Chopra’s stardom has undoubtedly elevated the stature of athletics in India. “It’s not like cricketers, like Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni, but a lot of people know me,” he said. “I go to India sometimes, people know me, which is good for athletics. People know about athletics and follow athletics because of the Olympic gold.”
Despite the recognition, Chopra remains focused on his ultimate goal: breaking the elusive 90m mark. “About 90m, last year I said I will throw 90 and threw 88. This year, I don’t want to say, I want to show,” he said. “People have been asking me this question since 2018, when I threw 88.06 at the Asian Games. But, a lot of things happened, my elbow injury, the surgery, and now I have been stuck between 88 and 90m.”
Chopra is aware of the expectations that come with his status as an Olympic champion, but he tries to focus on his technique. “Obviously, it is the Olympics year and India is a big country and everyone expects gold,” he said. “But, it’s really hard in Olympics because the best from the world are competing with you.”
“My focus is to just stay healthy and concentrate on my technique. And yes, if I stay healthy everything will be good.”
