After making India proud again, Neeraj Chopra feels he is not done yet and has consistently brought laurels for the nation. On 28 August at midnight, Neeraj Chopra made history as he became the first Indian athlete to lift the title of the world athletics championship and he became the best Javelin thrower in the world.
Having won a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics, Neeraj Chopra got candid with the press after winning the recent title and openly accepted that he is not done yet, and these medals are not the end for him and he strives to achieve more for his country.
“There is a saying that throwers have no finish line. The best thing is that we have our javelin. We can always push ourselves. I may have won a lot of medals but the motivation is to throw farther and farther. By winning these medals, I should not think that I have achieved everything. I will work harder, push myself harder to win more medals and bring more laurels for my country. I am hungry for more,” said Neeraj Chopra.
Neeraj Chopra on winning and striving to achieve more
Defending Champion Neeraj Chopra qualifies for Olympics 2024, Paris
Neeraj Chopra also discussed how he has consistently wanted to achieve the 90 m mark but has been just close to it and would like to achieve it soon while being consistent with his stellar performances.
“I have been feeling very good for the last two years, and this year I thought I would throw 90m. Even today, after my second throw (for 88.17m), I felt I could breach the 90m today. But when I suffered a groin injury earlier in the season, it created problems. I had thrown very close to 90m last year. It will come someday, but don’t know when. I won’t be taking pressure thinking about that”.
“What is more important is the medal. I give more importance to consistency, and that gives confidence in big events. When I reach 90m, I will again try and maintain consistency. I have been working hard and waiting for it to come,” he said.
“The good thing about the final was that not only did I win, but there were two other Indians who did well. I am really happy for Kishore Jena, who threw his personal best, and even DP Manu threw exceptionally. It is a great achievement for India that both finished in the top six. What was incredible was that in such a big competition they didn’t show any nerves and gave their best. It gives us hope that we will do well at next year’s Olympics,” he added.
