Neeraj Chopra on Thursday re-entered the history books by becoming the first Indian to win the Diamond League Finals title.
The Olympic gold medalist started with a foul throw in her first attempt, but rose to the top spot with a throw of 88.44m in her second attempt, which proved to be her winning effort. He did 88.00m, 86.11m, 87.00m and 83.60m in his next four throws.
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With this, Neeraj ended the season brilliantly and had a stellar 13-month run where he won the gold and silver medals at the Tokyo Olympics. World The championship as 24-year-old Khandra managed to break his own national record thrice.
Even though expressed happiness after its success in Zurich, Chopra said that he wants more Indians to participate in the near future.
“It is quite unusual that despite Indian athletes doing well at the Commonwealth Games and World Championships, I was the only Indian to compete in Zurich. I see that other countries have a team of athletes competing in different disciplines and I want India A bigger contingent should also be sent for such events,” Neeraj said during a virtual interaction from Zurich on Friday.
“I think more and more Indian athletes should participate in international events, they are currently doing well and participating in many domestic events.”
“I would urge AFI, SAI and the ministry to encourage more and more Indians to participate in international competitions. We need more Indians to compete against top athletes, world class competitions so that we can do better in events like Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.
Elaborating on the remarkable improvement in the results of Indian athletes in the recently concluded season, Neeraj said that it is the right time for his compatriots to gain experience with more international tours and competitions.
“It feels good that other Indian athletes are also doing well, like in the Commonwealth Games and our guys did well in the World Championships as well, although they didn’t make it to the podium position. I would request the national federation to provide them more opportunities to participate in international events and help them in overseas training. ,
“The facilities in India are improving, we will soon have indoor competition and training facilities. So, we should be able to get awards at international events,” said Neeraj.
When asked about his plans after spending his family vacation, Neeraj said that he will focus on the next season.
In fact, the Indian Olympic Association has made it mandatory for the National Games to be held in the cities of Gujarat from September 29 to October 12, Neeraj’s plans may need to be changed. The star athlete, however, insisted that he still needed time to recover from the injury, which forced him out of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
“The National Games are approaching. I’m just coming back from a back injury, and I won’t be able to train for a week or two. So I am mainly focusing on next year,” said Neeraj.
However, he is sure of one thing, that he will ensure that he does not gain weight again as he did after Tokyo 2020.
“Last time it was a new experience for me. I couldn’t balance things and that’s why I gained a lot of weight and faced problems. This time I am going to balance everything. Will make sure that my professional work is done. The plan is made according to that. The first priority will always be training, which should not be a hindrance. Anyway, in the off season, I will not rest much. I will not gain that much weight this time. I will be back for training soon, Neeraj said.
Neeraj also threw light on the weight of some shed expectations, revealing that he noticed some reactions after the World Championships silver medal as to why it was not a gold medal.
“That is the problem in India. That everyone wants a gold medal. It is very important to know that it is not possible to get gold medal in this sport. If they understand this, then they will know how much pressure is on the athlete. The fans should also support the losers. A medal is not only a sign of a good athlete, but it is also a sign of participation in a world event. If fans in India understand this, they will help the athlete perform well under extreme pressure," Neeraj said.
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