Javelin thrower Annu Rani aims to breach 70-metre mark

Published at :June 28, 2020 at 1:21 AM

Modified at :June 28, 2020 at 1:23 AM

The 27-year-old athlete is ready to get back on the track after a long lockdown period.

The current national record-holder in Women’s Javelin Annu Rani has been training hard for the last two years to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, but her ultimate goal is to breach the 70-metre mark in her event.

India’s athletics season is likely to restart in September, as the country is still fighting the coronavirus pandemic. However, many athletes have returned to training and Annu Rani is one of them. She is ready to hit the track at the Netaji Subash National Sports Institute (NIS) in Patiala.

Men’s Javelin throwers Neeraj Chopra and Shivpal Singh have already qualified for the Olympic Games and Annu Rani also wants to join them in Tokyo. She created the national record by covering a distance of 62.43 metres during the World Athletics Championships in Doha last year and wants to surpass it in order to qualify for the Olympics.

“Throwing 64 metres is on my mind first, as it is the qualifying standard for the Tokyo Olympics. But, my coaches and I believe that I can develop into a 70-metre thrower. I have to improve my technique and use my power better to throw the javelin farther,” Annu Rani said to Athletics Federation of India (AFI).

Annu Rani had to go through a tough period in 2018 when she failed to make an impact during the Asian Games. She had a bad outing in the tournament, as she wasn’t able to throw more than 54 metres. However, she didn’t give up and worked with her coach to improve her performance in the upcoming events.

The Indian javelin thrower said, “I had worked hard, but my mind was stressed over securing a medal. I learnt to aim higher and take no pressure. My job is to give my 100% and results are bound to follow.”

Annu Rani has started working on her game again; however, she is not pushing her body to make an instant impact, as she has been out of touch for a while due to the long break. She is cautious about injuries which could hamper her progress in the long run.