Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra vows to defend Asian Games title

The reigning Olympic champion will be playing in his final competition this season.

Defending champion Neeraj Chopra will be in action at the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023 on October 4th 2023 in men's javelin throw. Neeraj is currently dealing with a groin injury and on top of that ,the threat of his Pakistani adversary Arshad Nadeem is also looming behind him. Coincidentally Arshad also finished behind Neeraj winning a silver medal at the Budapest World Athletics Championship.

Chopra's aura at the sporting event in undeniable. Neeraj has definitely become a star in his own right as all the eyes follow his every move. He is undoubtedly the brightest star in the contingent. On Saturday (September 1st) when Neeraj walked out for the Athletes village to the media centre, he was accompanied by the top brass representatives of the Athletics Federation of India.

Opening up to the media Neeraj Chopra spoke about his meteoric rise to the top that started at the Asian Games, his little slip-ups and his thought process before the start of the tournament.

Overall performance this year

"I realized my dream of winning the World Championships. It was a challenging year because right at the start of the season I had a recurrence of groin strain. I missed 3-4 world championships because of that. I pushed myself for the World Athletics Championships, met doctors, worked a lot with my physiotherapist and did rehab in Switzerland. After that my throws in the qualification and both the world championship were good", said Neeraj.

"The performance was not good but there were things that I learnt. For the first time I did not carry my javelins with me. The javelins there were new and hard and unused so every thrower struggled with it. This (Asian Games) is the last competition of the year, so I will give my 100%", promised Neeraj.

On coming back to the Asian Games where he found his early success

"That was the start of my journey with the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games followed by the Asian Games in Jakarta. I broke the national record with 88.06m. A lot has changed now. Sitting here (2023) I have fulfilled those dreams. It's the the first time I will be defending my title at the big stage. I will put all my effort into that", says the champion thrower.

On the overcast weather conditions in Hangzhou

"The weather in Hangzhou has turned for the worse cause of the rains. Speaking of which Neeraj says " I certainly hope the weather stays clear. But I believe we should be ready for challenges. It's nature we can't change that and the conditions will be the same for everyone. So the mindset is to be prepared for tough conditions as well."

Rivalry with Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem

Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem has always been on Neeraj's heels right from the early days. These two athletes share a great rivalry on the track and friendship off it. Talking about it Chopra said, "Sport is global and you don't compete with just one country. I always say that I don't have just one competition. There are athletes from other countries as well".

"When we are on the field we push each other but off the field we are friendly. We (athletes from all countries eat together. That's the message from the Games".

Dealing with injuries

One of the most important concerns that Indian sports lovers had was over Neeraj's groin injury. Reflecting on it Neeraj iterated, "Yes I am dealing with a niggle in my groin. I was feeling better but it happened again. I am taking care of it keeping in mind the Paris Olympics and working on it. I struggled at the World Championships. I wasn't able to throw with a full run up in training because of this".

"In sports things don't always pan out the way you want. The main thing is to keep yourself fit for the big competitions. That's my priority. I also read after my performance in the Diamond League that Neeraj should not play in the Asian Games and focus on Paris. But I don't believe in running away from a situation," said the proud competitor.

If the repeated question of hitting the 90m mark frustrates him

"Number is always (on the mind) in every competition. But it also depends on the day. Like in Doha there was a lot of headwind, running was difficult. In contrast, at the World Championships it was an easy, relaxed run resulting in a good throw".

"But I focus more on winning. A 90m throw is also important but I think there are many who can throw 90m. It's about being in that competition and beating them", concluded Neeraj.