New Delhi: Winning gold in the World Championships in August and breaching the ‘magical’ 90m mark are Neeraj Chopra’s targets this year. However, the star javelin thrower most important target is to stay injury free till the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Chopra, who begins his season May 5 at the Doha leg of the prestigious Diamond League Meetings, had won a silver in the 2022 World Championships in 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 a healthy season,” Chopra said from his current base in Turkey during a virtual interaction.
“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,” added the 25-year-old.
Chopra is aware of the pressure going into the Paris Olympics. “There will be expectation and more pressure to win gold in Paris, so I will be even better prepared than Tokyo Olympics when I go to Paris. Of course the Tokyo gold will motivate in Paris. More important for me however, is whether I learn from every competition and be consistent,” Chopra pointed out.
Chopra also asserted that he would also be looking to cross the 90m mark this year, though he is not putting himself under any pressure. “Everybody has been asking about 90m mark since 2018. Last year, I was just 6cm short. I hope to do it this year but I will not put any pressure on myself,” Chopra said.
PTI
