Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra marked his return from injury in a scintillating fashion and clinched gold at the Lausanne Diamond League in the early hours on Saturday (July 1). A throw of 87.66 was enough for the 27-year-old superstar athlete to win his second consecutive gold in the competition. After adding another gold medal to his already illustrious trophy shelf, Chopra has now set his sights on World Championships that is scheduled to be held in the month of August in Budapest.
In a long interaction with reporters on July 3 (Monday), Neeraj once again reiterated that he is still far away from reaching top fitness and that his focus currently is to work with the physio in order to get better for the marquee event.
"For World championships, I need to be fitter. I will work with my physio. I am satisfied with my throws but not quite happy since I know I can do much better," Neeraj said.
Neeraj is wary of pushing too hard. The Olympic champion hinted that he might skip multiple events before the World Championships in order to give himself the requisite time to regain full fitness.
"Right now, we will focus on getting fit for Budapest. The Diamond League final is no pressure. I’ve not decided whether to take part in Monaco. We have 20 days to decide. If we feel fitness is good enough, then we will go but right now it seems we will go to the World Championships only," Neeraj continued.
"If we prepare for that, my injury and body will improve. We will be mentally strong not just here but during the rest of the season as well. At least for a month, we can push with that fitness. If I keep competing, my fitness will go down and won’t be able to compete at optimum levels," he added.
Neeraj is still 25 years old but his resume puts him alongside the greatest athletes the country has ever produced. He has finished on the podium at every event he has competed in since 2018. Naturally, the younger athletes in India look up to Neeraj for advice and inspiration.
The Olympic champion continues to be humble despite securing gigantic achievements. He is more than willing to communicate with young athletes, guide them and impart nuggets of wisdom for the development of the next generation.
"I am an elder brother to youngsters). The junior athletes are doing well. In Lausanne, I spent time with Sreeshankar and I’m seeing the changes in him. When I first met him there was pressure on him. He would often doubt himself. But now the confidence is there. I think whatever I learn from my experience I am more than happy sharing it with my juniors," Neeraj said.
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