Neeraj Chopra won gold in the javelin throw during the Tokyo Olympics. However, he still does not consider himself the best thrower in the world. But, here's how he can feel so.
Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra made the nation proud a few months back. During the Tokyo Olympics, he won the gold medal, becoming only the second Indian to win the medal of the colour and the first to win an athletics medal at the global event. However, does Neeraj consider himself the world's best thrower despite the Olympic success?
While Chopra threw a distance of 87.58 metres in Tokyo, his personal best throw happens to be 88.07m. However, to consider himself as one of the best, Chopra has set himself the benchmark of 90m. During a recent media interaction, he revealed that he was close to the mark and would get there soon, reports PTI.
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But, Chopra is not too worried about it and asserted that there is no pressure on him to breach the mark or everything goes haywire. He revealed that he is just short of a couple of metres but clarified that it is not too less and would not be impossible to achieve, given that his training has been going great.
As for his technique, Chopra assured that there had been no significant change. Besides, he is also working on developing explosive strength, core strength and speed, which would allow him to cover up the distance short. While he affirmed again that the barrier is low, he would aim to breach the mark in 2022.
Chopra further revealed that he gained almost 10kgs of weight as he got to eat his delicacies, having controlled his urge for long enough. However, 22 days of rigorous training has helped him lose 5.5kgs of weight. He recalled that the initial few days of the movement were difficult since his body would pain a lot. He confirmed that he should gain full javelin throw fitness in the coming days.