Neeraj Chopra keen to fix release glitch before Tokyo Olympics | More sports News – Times of India
CHANDIGARH: Barely three weeks ahead of his event in Tokyo, Neeraj Chopra conceded that his bronze medal-winning throw of 86.79m at the Kuortane Games event in Finland last month wasn’t his best, even as the javelin thrower is working to iron out a few technical flaws in his release after skipping the upcoming Diamond League due to visa issues.
Logistical challenges had left Neeraj with the only option of borrowing a javelin for the star-studded event on June 26 in Finland. Currently based at Uppsala in Sweden, Neeraj had pulled out of a top-level competition last week in Switzerland, due to fatigue.
“86.79m was a good throw but wasn’t my best. My javelin could not reach the venue (in Finland) that day and I could not use it. I had to use another javelin as my personal javelins were stuck in Stockholm,” he said during a virtual interaction.
Technical changes
One of India’s medal contenders in track and field events, the 23-year-old, who qualified for Tokyo throwing 87.86 meters last year and posted a personal best of 88.07 in March this year, explained how he was wasting a lot of power in throws that ended in fouls, and also lacked the distance.
“Earlier, my throws tended to veer towards the left which increased chances of fouls, and wasted my power. Also at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, I felt I gave too much height to my throws which made the javelin land vertically,” he said,
“If the release angle is not right, you are not getting the maximum out of your throw. Now I am working on reducing the height of the javelin so that it covers more distance,” he added.
Skipping IAAF Diamond League
The Panipat lad said he doesn’t want to miss crucial training time due to visa and quarantine processes for the Gateshead event on July 13 and will be competing in the other two IAAF Diamond Leagues post the Olympics.
“Getting the UK visa (to take part at Gateshead) was difficult for Indians due to Covid-19 situation in India. So, I decided to miss the Diamond League. There is no time for competition now. The focus is primarily on the Olympics,” he said.
Back among the best
Back to international competitions after almost 18 months, Neeraj, ranked fourth in the world, felt like starting it afresh when he found himself competing among the best, that included Olympics gold favourite German Johannes Vetter and Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago. While Vetter threw a massive 93.59m to pocket the gold, Walcott finished second with a distance of 89.12m, in Finland.
“I had a new experience in Finland. During the run-up, I felt the real experience of a top-level competition after months, the kind of natural feeling which gives you the best performance comes after you take part in a lot of world class events. But I tried to stay positive and wanted to prove myself,” he said.
Neeraj, who will fly to Tokyo on July 26 as the men’s javelin events at the Olympics are scheduled on August 4 (qualification round) and August 7 (final), said his team is planning the training schedule accordingly.
Logistical challenges had left Neeraj with the only option of borrowing a javelin for the star-studded event on June 26 in Finland. Currently based at Uppsala in Sweden, Neeraj had pulled out of a top-level competition last week in Switzerland, due to fatigue.
“86.79m was a good throw but wasn’t my best. My javelin could not reach the venue (in Finland) that day and I could not use it. I had to use another javelin as my personal javelins were stuck in Stockholm,” he said during a virtual interaction.
Technical changes
One of India’s medal contenders in track and field events, the 23-year-old, who qualified for Tokyo throwing 87.86 meters last year and posted a personal best of 88.07 in March this year, explained how he was wasting a lot of power in throws that ended in fouls, and also lacked the distance.
“Earlier, my throws tended to veer towards the left which increased chances of fouls, and wasted my power. Also at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, I felt I gave too much height to my throws which made the javelin land vertically,” he said,
“If the release angle is not right, you are not getting the maximum out of your throw. Now I am working on reducing the height of the javelin so that it covers more distance,” he added.
Skipping IAAF Diamond League
The Panipat lad said he doesn’t want to miss crucial training time due to visa and quarantine processes for the Gateshead event on July 13 and will be competing in the other two IAAF Diamond Leagues post the Olympics.
“Getting the UK visa (to take part at Gateshead) was difficult for Indians due to Covid-19 situation in India. So, I decided to miss the Diamond League. There is no time for competition now. The focus is primarily on the Olympics,” he said.
Back among the best
Back to international competitions after almost 18 months, Neeraj, ranked fourth in the world, felt like starting it afresh when he found himself competing among the best, that included Olympics gold favourite German Johannes Vetter and Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago. While Vetter threw a massive 93.59m to pocket the gold, Walcott finished second with a distance of 89.12m, in Finland.
“I had a new experience in Finland. During the run-up, I felt the real experience of a top-level competition after months, the kind of natural feeling which gives you the best performance comes after you take part in a lot of world class events. But I tried to stay positive and wanted to prove myself,” he said.
Neeraj, who will fly to Tokyo on July 26 as the men’s javelin events at the Olympics are scheduled on August 4 (qualification round) and August 7 (final), said his team is planning the training schedule accordingly.
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