Tokyo Olympics 2020: Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra optimistic about his maiden Games-Sports News , Firstpost

File image of Neeraj Chopra. AP Photo

Among other notable names from India’s Tokyo-bound Olympic contingent, there will be huge expectations from Neeraj Chopra. The star javelin thrower, however, isn’t letting the pressure get to him.

“I don’t feel any pressure yet, maybe once I go to Tokyo because it is my first time,” Neeraj said on the ‘The Torchbearers‘ show on the Sony Sports Network, the official broadcaster of Tokyo 2020.

“Everyone who has been to the Olympic Games before have all said that the pressure of being at the Olympic level is different.  So far, I feel if everyone is keeping the weight of their expectations on us then it is a good thing. I am working towards fulfilling their expectations and also for myself as I worked extremely hard to reach the Olympic stage,” he added.

The 23-year old was thrust into the limelight after he won gold in the 2018 Asian Games as well as the Commonwealth Games. It was the same year when he worked on his throw and tried to finetune aspects of his game along with his coach. Since 2019, when he suffered an elbow injury, the ride hasn’t been easy for Neeraj. And while he qualified for the Games in 2020, his preparations, much like other athletes were severely affected. Still, the javelin thrower is optimistic and confident heading into the Games.

“If you see a lot of my throws, they were going towards the edges of the javelin sectors, so along with my coach, I worked a lot on those. 2019 was tough, but the preparations were good. Then, I had an elbow injury and I had to undergo surgery and my entire year was wasted.  After that, I did a complete rehab, worked on my fitness and qualified for Olympics in January 2020. Then due to COVID-19 , we trained indoors, worked very hard but all competitions got cancelled.”

“Now again it’s a fresh start, we are taking the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games in a positive way that we have got more time for preparations. I worked a lot of my fitness, there is a lot of improvement in my strength and technique, that makes me feel much better,” he concluded.