2023 men’s javelin world champion Neeraj Chopra is set to open his 2025 outdoor athletics season. He’ll take his shot at the Doha Diamond League meet in Qatar as he reaches for those new heights. Chopra is going to be looking forward to this much awaited contest. He hopes to further expand on his stellar medal count thus far, which includes a gold medal at the Tokyo Games and silver medal performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
As he gets ready for this season, Chopra has taken one major decision to change his approach to training. For this, he has roped in Jan Zelezny, a former Olympic gold medallist famous for his javelin skills. Even so, Zelezny has guided Chopra to refine his technique further with small tweaks. Beyond all that, he’s shared wonderful advice on coping with the mental stresses that come along with being a world-class athlete.
Chopra rarely trains in India. He often takes off to South Africa during the off-season and works his way northeast to Europe during competitive season. His use of this global training approach is not only responsible for his record-setting success on the international stage. It’s practical and pragmatic.
The athlete addresses the ongoing challenge of being scrutinized in public. Now, coupled with heavy social media trolling, this would probably be the fate of any high profile sports figure in India, where passion for sports runs deep. Chopra has been clear that he is excited to be back on the green and honed in on his own performance without other distractions.
Chopra’s commitment to the sport transcends personal success. He aims to utilize his platform to popularize javelin and inspire future generations in India. His initiative, the Neeraj Chopra Classic, serves as a testament to his dedication to promoting athletics within the Indian masses. With this event, he’s aiming to create excitement and spur engagement in track and field sports throughout the country.
Chopra’s triumph, together with another South Asian athlete, Arshad Nadeem, has sent the javelin world into revolt. They have shown us that talent can prosper outside of European football’s long-held stronghold. The U.S. success Their back-to-back Olympic medals have turned heads. They’ve increased the popularity of javelin and track and field sports across South Asia as well.
During the Doha Diamond League meet this year, there’s an exciting contingent of four Indian athletes, led by Chopra, all set to don their nation’s colours. This is a very positive trend to see for Indian athletics. Even beyond tech, it shines a light on the dynamic talent pipeline that’s surfacing from the territory.
Chopra is focused on doing better than even his best efforts so far. He has more immediate targets in finding that elusive 90-metre barrier in javelin throw. His keen commitment is evident of a larger vision to raise the profile of athletics in India and motivate young athletes to chase their dreams.
