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Olympic Javelin Champion Neeraj Chopra has set his sights on winning gold at the World Championships in August and also breaching the coveted 90m mark in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The athletic sensation, who begins his season at the Doha leg of the prestigious Diamond League Meetings on May 5, won a silver in the 2022 World Championships in the USA, a year after clinching a historic gold in the Tokyo Olympics.
"It is going to be a long season this time, the Asian Games (javelin event) is going to be in October. I will try to stay away from injury, hoping for a successful as well healthy season," Chopra said during a virtual interaction from his current base in Turkey.
"I want to win gold in the World Championships in Hungary but there is no pressure whether I do it this time or later. I need to be better technically this year as the season is long," said the 25-year-old, who is currently training at the Gloria Sports Arena in Antalya, Turkey since April 1.
"There will be expectations and more pressure to win gold in Paris, so I will be even better prepared than Tokyo Olympics when I go to Paris. But hopefully, with the learning and experience from all these years, I hope I will be able to maintain myself, be consistent and get better every time I compete.
"Of course, the Tokyo gold will motivate me to do better in Paris. I will work harder to do even better than Tokyo," the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Gold medallist added.
Last year, he did not take part in the Doha Diamond League and began his season only in June at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland, one month later than this time. However, Neeraj is mush better prepared this time around. "Last year, I was not ready (for Doha) in terms of overall fitness, strength and technically also. There was less time for training. So, we decided to start late. Now everything is going on well, so we decided to compete in Doha where some of the best in the world will be taking part.
"Technically and physically, I am much improved than last year. Also, I have been training for a longer time now. Hoping that it will be a successful season for me."
Chopra, the reigning Diamond League champion after winning the grand finale in September last, will join world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada and Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic in Doha in the first meet of the 14-leg one-day series of the season.
He said he would also be looking to cross the 90m mark this year, though he is not putting himself under pressure to achieve the feat. "Everybody has been asking about 90m mark since 2018. Last year, I was just 6cm short of 90m. I hope to do it this year but I will not put any pressure on myself. 90m is a magical mark and 90m club is famous in world of javelin. I hope to enter it this year," said Chopra who has a personal best of 89.94m."
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