With just one year left for the next Olympics, the defending champion and former gold medallist Neeraj Chopra has now qualified for the next season of the Olympics. The next Olympics will be conducted in 2024 in Paris, France.
The qualifying mark for the javelin throw for Olympic 2024 is 85.05m. Neeraj Chopra’s qualification round lasted only a few minutes as he qualified in the first round itself.
Neeraj Chopra threw the Javelin for 88.77 metres in his first throw to qualify for the final of the World Athletics Championships 2023. Chopra’s 88.77m is regarded as the best throughout the season.
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“Definitely, I am close. I just need one perfect day with favourable weather conditions and I am confident I will be able to achieve the throw,” said Neeraj Chopra.
“However, when I participate in competitions that occur once every two to four years (like the World Championships and the Olympics), there is undoubtedly a sense of responsibility. But, I always give my hundred per cent and perform with complete focus. Initially, there were other factors that used to overwhelm me but gradually I have gotten used to it.”
“At the beginning of the year, I had prepared quite well, but then I got injured which led me to skip a few competitions. After that, I returned and participated in the Lausanne Diamond League, where my performance was good.
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Since then, everything has gotten better, and I am happy with my performance and training. For me, the most important thing is to be mentally prepared for the challenge knowing that the World Championships are approaching, and I want to perform well there. I am not carrying a specific throwing distance or medal target in my mind, but it is important that when I compete there – I do not want to have any fear of injury or anything else on my mind”, added Neeraj Chopra.
“The Olympics are still almost a year away, and currently, the focus is on the World Championships, followed by the Diamond League Final and then the Asian Games. After that, there’s a season break when I will have time and will undergo about five to six months of intensive training before getting back into competitions. Planning for it will involve discussions with the team to strategize and introduce new aspects to my game. All will be revealed soon. But right now, my immediate focus is on the competitions happening this year,” concluded Neeraj Chopra.
