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Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is not losing sleep over his international rivals touching the 90-metre mark during their pre-season performances but hopes to join the 90m club himself this year. Reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada and 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver winner Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic came up with 93.07m and 90.88m throws respectively at the Doha Diamond League on May 13.
But Chopra is not one to take pressure thinking about another athlete's performance. "I don't take the pressure of distance. Peters and Valdech must be working hard and so doing well. It is also my dream to cross 90m and will try to do that this year in some competition," Chopra said at a virtual interaction from his training base in Turkey.
"I know the competition is tough and growing. It also depends on the day's performance, weather and other conditions, and how we manage them. I normally don't think about surpassing anybody's performance or record. I just go out to give my best," he added.
24-year-old Chopra is currently training at the Gloria Sports Arena in Antalya, Turkey along with coach Klaus Bartonietz. His personal best is 88.07m and won the gold at the Tokyo Olympics with a throw of 87.58m. His first competition of the season will be in Turku, Finland at the Paavo Nurmi Games where he will face Peters, another top thrower in Johannes Vetter of Germany who has thrown over 90m several times.
"I don't have to hit 90m straightway, 86 or 87m at the start of the season will be fine," said Chopra who will be taking the field for the first time after 10 months since winning gold in Tokyo in August 7 last year.
His next event will be on June 18 at Kuortane Games in Finland where he finished third last year with Vetter taking the gold before the Tokyo Olympics.
Chopra is also planning to feature in the top-flight Diamond League Meeting in Stockholm on June 30 before heading for the June 15-24 World Championships in Eugene, USA. Vetter, however, flopped during the Olympics after he produced a series 90m plus throws in the lead-up to the Games in Tokyo. He was eliminated after the first three throws in the final.
