Neeraj Chopra again etched his name in the history books after becoming the first Indian to win the Diamond League Finals title on Thursday.
The Olympic gold medallist began with a foul throw on his first attempt but jumped to the top spot with a throw of 88.44m on his second attempt, which turned out to be his winning effort. He had 88.00m, 86.11m, 87.00m and 83.60m in his next four throws.
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With that, Neeraj ended the season on a high note and capped off a stellar 13 months where won Gold at the Tokyo Olympics and the silver medal at the World Championships as the 24-year-old from Khandra managed to break his own national record thrice.
Even though expressed happiness after his success in Zurich, Chopra said that he wants more Indians to take part in the near future.
“It is quite unusual that despite Indian athletes doing well in the Commonwealth Games and the World Championships, I was the only Indian competing in Zurich. I see other countries have a team of athletes competing in various disciplines and I want India too should send a big contingent for such events," Neeraj said during a virtual interaction from Zurich on Friday.
“I feel that more Indian athletes should participate in international events, they are doing well currently and are getting to participate in a lot of domestic events."
“I would urge the AFI, SAI, and ministry to encourage more Indians to participate in international competitions. We need more Indians to compete against top athletes, the world-class competitions so that we can do better in events like Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games," Neeraj said.
Taking about the marked improvement in results for Indian athletes in the just concluded season, Neeraj said that it is the right moment for his compatriots to get exposure with more international tours and competitions.
“It feels good that other Indian athletes are also doing well, like at CWG and our guys did well in the World Championships too, though they did not get into podium position. I will request the national federation to provide them with more chances to participate in international events and help them with foreign training stints."
“Facilities are improving in India, we will soon have indoor competition and training facilities. So, we should be able to reap the rewards at the international events," Neeraj added.
When asked about his plans after he spends his ‘much-needed’ break with a family vacation, Neeraj said he will be focusing on the next season.
In fact, the National Games, which will be held across cities in Gujarat from September 29 to October 12, is made mandatory by the Indian Olympic Association, Neeraj’s plans may need changing. The star athlete though asserted that he still needs time to recover from the injury that forced him to miss the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
“The National Games are approaching. I am just coming back from a groin injury, and I may not be able to train for one or two weeks. So I am primarily focussed on next year," Neeraj said.
He is sure about one thing though, that he will make sure not to gain weight again as he did after Tokyo 2020.
“Last time it was a new experience for me. I could not balance things and that is why I ended up gaining a lot of weight and faced problems. This time I am going to balance everything. Will ensure my commercial assignments are planned accordingly. The first priority will always be training, which should not get disturbed. Anyway, I will not rest for many days in the off-season. I won’t gain so much weight this time. I will soon be back training," Neeraj said.
Neeraj also shed some light on the weight of expectations as he revealed that he noticed some reactions after his World Championships silver as to why it wasn’t a gold medal.
“This is the problem in India. That everyone wants a gold medal. It is very important to know that in this sport, it is not possible to get a gold medal. If they get to understand this, they will know how much pressure is on the athlete. Fans need to support the ones who lose as well. Medals are not the only sign of a good athlete but even taking part in a world event is too. If fans in India will understand this, they will help the athlete do well under extreme pressure," Neeraj said.
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