Will be great if me and Neeraj bhai can repeat our Hangzhou Asiad performance in Paris 2024, says Javelin thrower Kishore Jena

The athlete from Odisha has also secured his place for Paris Olympics.

It is a massive under-statement that India’s only Olympics gold medalist in athletics – Neeraj Chopra – has been a huge inspiration for many sportspersons in the country. The world champion’s success has rubbed on to the performances of several track and field athletes including fellow javelin throwers Kishore Jena and Annu Rani.

While Kishore Jena clinched a silver medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games helping India script a 1-2 finish in the discipline along with gold medallist Chopra, Annu clinched gold in the women’s category.

Speaking on the sidelines of senior sports journalist Norris Pritam-authored “The Man Who Made History: The Neeraj Chopra Story” book release function, Jena highlighted how India’s most accomplished sports star in several decades had helped him improve his distance by 10 metres in the last one year.

“Neeraj bhai has been my idol. What he achieved with the javelin gave us massive motivation that any Indian is capable of becoming a world champion. He has helped me on numerous occasions, guided me on the throwing technique and how to mentally prepare for big events,” Jena told Khel Now.

Jena started strength and weight training at Netaji Subhash National Institute of Sports (NSNIS) in Patiala last month and will begin competing in international competitions from the Diamond League meeting in Xiamen, China, in April 2024.

“It’s still our off-season so we are performing weight training at NIS Patiala. I will also begin competing in overseas events from April next year. My running has always been good, but it is just before the release that my knees get locked on certain occasions, so I am trying to rectify those areas in my training now,” he elaborated.

Jena, a native of Kothasahi village near Puri in Odisha, is the youngest of seven children, preceded by six sisters, born on September 6, 1995, to paddy farmer father Keshab Jena and mother Harapriya. In order to support his family, Jena took to sports to land a job in the Indian Army.

From playing volleyball for the Odisha government, Jena made the transition to javelin throw with help and inspiration of former state champion Laxman Baral and initial coach Nilamadhab Deo. And there has been no looking back since. He is currently training under Samarjeet Singh Malhi and wishes to replicate India’s 1-2 finish at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

“I am definitely going to try to script my personal best in Paris Olympics 2024. My only aim is to bring a medal for the country at the Olympic Games and it will be great if me and Neeraj can repeat our Hangzhou Asiad performance in Paris. I understand that the next generation will be able to take up javelin throw as a professional sport very easily if I bag more medals internationally. I have received very good support from the Government of India and Odisha government and now the entire focus is on my performance,” he explained.

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