Double delight: Neeraj Chopra dreams of sharing Paris Olympics podium with Kishore Jena

Neeraj Chopra was brimming with confidence and as relaxed as ever when he spoke to the media from Turkey on Thursday.

Having shifted base to Antalya in the last leg of his off-season preparation for the Olympics year, the javelin star is hopeful of another record-breaking season. His dreams are not just limited to defending the Olympic Gold in Paris, but also seeing more than one Indian on the podium at the Games. Like always, Neeraj spoke highly of his compatriots and said he is hopeful that Kishore Jena can also make the country proud at the biggest sporting spectacle, starting July 26.

While Neeraj Chopra kickstarted the javelin revolution in the country, the likes of Kishore Jena and DP Manu have worked hard to earn themselves a place at the top level. Kishore, 29, won a silver medal at the Asian Games last year and finished 5th in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, sparking hopes of more glory in the Olympic year.

“This might be a big dream-come-true moment for India. From our country, at the Olympics, two people standing on the podium, it will be a huge moment. If there are more than two, then it’s even better. At the Asian Games, it happened. If it happens in the Olympics, it will be a huge moment of joy. It will bring a different level of satisfaction for all of us, all of us Indians,” Neeraj said in an interaction organised by JSW Sports on Thursday.

“Let’s see. We have a lot of time for it. I am also sure that Kishore Jena is working hard. He will throw well. He will do well,” he added.

Both Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena will begin their 2024 seasons at the Doha Diamond League in May and Neeraj is hopeful that his compatriot will continue to improve after a breakthrough season in 2023.

“Last year, he had tremendous progress. First in the world championships and then at the Asian Games. He has improved a lot in terms of his distance.”

Kishore threw 87.54 in the Asian Games to win the silver medal even as Neeraj Chopra defended in Gold medal in Hangzhou with a best effort of 88.88m. In fact, Kishore was leading Neeraj midway through the closely-fought final last year before the Olympic gold medalist took the pole position with the winning throw in his 4th attempt.

‘HAPPY IF KISHORE GETS 90M FIRST’
Neeraj joked about his wait for the magical 90m throw and said he would not be surprised if Kishore gets there before him.

“I have been stuck between 88m and 90m from 2018. Who knows you guys keep asking me the 90m question, who knows Kishore achieves the landmark before me. It would be great. Yes, we have come a long way in javelin, but that 90m mark has to be achieved,” Neeraj said.

“Yes, it has felt great competing with Kishore Jena. We will the meet again in Doha. For the first time, there will be two Indians in the Doha Diamond League. It will be fun. (Murali) Sreeshankar will also be there. See, if many Indian athletes are competing and winning in Diamond Leagues, then we can think about the Olympics also,” he added.

90M BEFORE THE PARIS GAMES?
Consistency has been Neeraj Chopra’s biggest strength. Despite missing out on the 90m mark, the Tokyo Olympics champion has always found ways to better the competition with his ability to assess the conditions and deliver his best.

Neeraj might put an end to all the questions over the wait for the 90m throw. Yes, the Diamond Trophy winner seems to be quite confident about getting the big throw out even before he heads to Paris for this title defence.

“I will try and go for it before the Games. If something like that has to happen, hopefully it happens before the Olympics. 90m mark. Everything is going well. I hope we don’t have to wait till the Olympics. If it has to happen, hopefully, it happens before the Olympics,” he said.

‘IT’S A BORING ROUTINE’

Neeraj has been working hard in the off-season to make sure he is geared up for the upcoming competitions, which include a couple of Diamond League meetings and the Paavo Nurmi Games before the showdown in Paris.

Neeraj has been specifically working on strength and conditioning in Antalya after having begun his preparations in Potchefstroom, South Africa. The soft-spoken javelin star joked about the boring routines while training overseas, stressing it’s not as rosy as it seems from the outside.

“It’s a boring life. Many people think that athletes have fun when they are training outside the country. The routine can be boring. Wake up, train, have food and then relax. I was in South Africa and I am now in Turkey, I can tell you that I stepped out of my center only once in 3-4 weeks.

“Otherwise, I have a fixed map in my training centre, from the training ground to the canteen and to the hostel. We don’t get a lot of time. If there’s some appointment with the physio on Sunday then it also gets booked. This time it’s the Olympic year, so it’s important that the focus is more on the preparations,” he said.

Reflecting on his journey from winning the Gold in Tokyo to preparing for his title defence in Paris, Neeraj said the experiences in the last two years have only made him more confident and less anxious about competitions.

“There is a change in the mindset. My self-confidence has improved. I have played two World Championships, one silver and one gold. I have won the Diamond Trophy, I have won the Asian Games Gold as well. Because of all these experiences, I have a belief that I can do well among the elite athletes.

“My mind automatically knows that this is my second Olympics, I want to be be prepared better. I want to make sure I do better. It’s all fine-tuned inside now. I am not doing anything special for mental training,” he added.

NEERAJ WELCOMES WORLD ATHLETICS CALL
Neeraj needs no extra motivation to add to his decorated trophy cabinet at the Paris Olympics. However, the Indian superstar welcomed the World Athletics body’s historic decision to award USD 50,000 to gold medallists in track and field events at the Games. With the move, Track and field is set to become the first sport to introduce prize money at the Olympics.

“It’s a good start. I think they have announced prize money only for gold medal winners. But yes, World Athletics is becoming very active. They are taking care of other competitions also very well. I hope that these things are also added slowly to Diamond Leagues and other competitions in the Continental Tour,” Neeraj said.