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Javelin thrower DP Manu fired up by Kishore Jena’s success
His dip in 2023 saw Kishore Jena overtake him to become the India No.2, behind Neeraj Chopra. Manu is now raising his game to qualify for the Olympics.
In the first half of 2023, DP Manu had consolidated his position as India's No.2 javelin thrower, behind Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra. Behind Chopra, there were few barring Rohit Yadav who could challenge Manu’s arm. It appeared a matter of time before the tall 24-year-old transitioned into the big league.
Then came along Kishore Jena, and in a three-month run from August became India's new javelin sensation. As the Odisha thrower began touching longer distances with every meet, Manu seemed to stagnate.
The then unfancied Jena improved his best seven times in 2023, going from 78.93m at the start of the year to 87.54m at the Hangzhou Asian Games to qualify for the Paris Olympics. At the Budapest World Championships, where Chopra nailed a historic first gold medal for India, Jena was fifth in the final (84.77m), pipping Manu to sixth (with an effort of 84.14m).
Jena’s meteoric rise has fired the competitive hunger in the Karnataka thrower. “I am really happy for Kishore, but to watch Jena improve so much has lit a fire in me. I am waiting for the season to begin so that I can show everyone what I'm capable of,” Manu said.
“As an athlete you want to beat everyone else. I am no different. We stay in touch through text messages and sometimes exchange notes too. We push each other. Jena has told me a few times that he wants me to come to Paris. We want to do a Budapest encore, and this time hopefully there will be more than one Indian on the podium.”
Manu is focused on tweaking his technique which he expects will help add “one or two metres” to his average distance. Manu's coach Kashinath Naik said: “He has been hovering around 84m for two years now. It took us two years to consistently get around 83-84m. This year, we want to push him to the 85-87m range. Once you start throwing that distance consistently, you will find yourself in medal contention at most major meets.
“He has the advantage of height. He definitely has a 90m throw in him, but we may have to wait a year or two for that,” Naik said. Manu stands at 6 feet 2 inches, while Jena is only 5 ft, 7 in. (Chopra, at 6 feet, is the gold standard; his national record is 89.94m).
It shows that javelin, being a highly technical event, is not about physical attributes alone. “There are a lot of moving parts, right from run-up, block, throw and follow through. Many people feel I should be throwing a lot farther given my height. It surely is an advantage, but doesn’t guarantee anything,” Manu said.
Manu's pre-season focus has been on tightening his technique. One area is the block (braking at the end of the run-up while hurling the spear) and follow through. Naik said Manu falls in his follow a little prematurely, which affects the throwing momentum. “Neeraj too falls down in his follow through, but that is only after he has completed the action. Manu hits the ground earlier, which robs him of a couple of metres,” he said.
“I am also working on my block,” Manu said. "It has to be purposeful, powerful. Only then will the power transfer from the lower body into the throw. My knee tends to bend while blocking, which breaks the momentum.”
It is not easy to change a technique honed by years of muscle memory. It may take months, and Manu was back training barely ten days after the season ended. “I was desperate to hit training. The break was mainly to switch off a bit mentally. Even then, failing to better my PB and failing to make the Asian Games bothered me.”
Manu is approaching the new year with optimism. “Competitions will truly begin around May-June. We are trying to arrange a trip to Europe in March. We want to hit the Paris qualification mark (85.50m) early in the season so that we can approach the rest of the season at ease,” Naik said.
For now, the emphasis is on getting Manu's body competition ready. “We started with a lot of strength training. I realised I lacked raw strength, for which I will increase muscle mass this year. I weigh around 86-87kg, I need to get to around 92kg,” Manu said. Manu presses 160kg on the bench and snatches around 92 kg.
“I have increased my intake of lean proteins. As of now, I am lifting up to 80-85% of my potential. We've started throwing only recently. I am already touching 85m in practice with a 900g javelin. It augurs well for the season.”
