Ready for Olympic defence, Neeraj Chopra aware, not worried of competition

Neeraj Chopra discusses training, competition, and expectations ahead of Olympic defense year at Diamond League.

Neeraj Chopra will kick off his Olympic defence year at the Diamond League next month and the World champion is both aware of the pressure of expectations and confident in his own abilities.

Ahead of the season-opener in Doha, Neeraj spoke to select media from his base in Turkey on Thursday about his training so far, the season ahead and the competition. Excerpts:

On working with strength and conditioning coach Spencer MacKay: I had earlier worked with Spencer (S&C head coach at Inspire Institute of Sports) in 2019 after my elbow injury and surgery and it was very useful. We have been working together for the last 2-3 months, in South Africa earlier and now in Turkey. The strength and fitness training is mainly before the actual season starts, when javelin-specific training is more in focus, which we have begun now. It has been good, we worked on certain exercises to increase strength.

On the 90m mark at Paris: The training has been good so hopefully, it can happen before the Olympics also but for me, consistency is important. I always try to maintain my level in every tournament before trying to go beyond a certain mark.

For consistent performance, consistent training is the key. You have to continue training through the season and not give up completely in off-season also, try not to take too much rest between competitions. Managing your travel, diet and training is very important. Sometimes conditions can be challenging but the goal is to maintain your performance.

In fact, I have been hanging between 88-90m since 2018 and the way Kishore (Jena) has improved, maybe he will cross that mark before me! But whoever does it, it will be good.

Growth as an athlete since Tokyo and the excitement of starting a new season: The biggest growth is in experience, self-confidence and mental strength. Before Tokyo, I had no major medal and in Diamond League events, not even decent positions. That has changed – I have participated in two World Championships with a silver and a gold, good performances and title in Diamond League and defended Asian Games title.