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Neeraj Chopra chases 90m mark in Zurich

By, New Delhi
Aug 31, 2023 08:08 AM IST

India’s Olympic javelin champion was also crowned the world champion at the weekend

When a summer highlight is the Olympics or world championships, it is the medal rather than the distance or timing that matters. Most elite athletes who target records usually pick competitions before or after.

Neeraj Chopra, of India, makes an attempt in the Men's javelin throw final during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest(AP)
Neeraj Chopra, of India, makes an attempt in the Men's javelin throw final during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest(AP)

Having clinched a historic first World Athletics Championships gold for India at the weekend to add to his Olympic title, Neeraj Chopra can simply focus on turning a third visualisation exercise into reality – throw the javelin to the 90-metre mark at Thursday’s Zurich Diamond League meeting.

Eight of the 12 who lined up for the final at the Budapest Worlds on Sunday will be in the 10-thrower field in Switzerland. Chopra’s personal best is 89.94m, and he threw his season’s best of 88.77m in qualifying at the Hungarian capital.

With the event scheduled at around 8:30 pm local time and night temperatures in the Swiss city likely to be around 19-20 degrees Celsius — it was a warm early 30s in Budapest— the chill factor may test the field.

Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch – he was third in Budapest – with a personal best of 90.88m and Grenada’s former world champion Anderson Peters (PB 93.07m) are the only two in the field to have ever gone farther than Chopra. Peters has been way below his best with 85.88m his season’s best. He didn’t make the final in Budapest.

Germany's Julian Weber has a season's best of 88.72m. Six of the season’s seven best throwers are in the field, though Vadlejch’s 89.51m is the world leading effort of 2023.

Chopra has had to manage his fitness this season, but he is looking forward to the competition. “I didn't compete much this year due to a groin injury. Leading up to Budapest, I had just 5-6 throwing sessions, and that too not at full tilt. World Championships was very challenging physically as well as mentally. The competition was really tough and it was important to stay mentally strong. I made some technical changes with my right leg," he said in a media interaction on Wednesday.

“Worlds gold was the only medal missing from my cabinet. I am really happy to finally have it. Worlds will always be a happy memory for me.” Chopra returns to the venue where he won the Diamond League Final last year, pipping Vadlejch and Weber. The 25-year-old is undefeated this season, with wins in the Doha (88.67m) and Lausanne (87.66m) Diamond League editions preceding the World Championships.

“I won the Lausanne Diamond League last year and this year. I also won the Diamond League Final in Zurich, so I hope Switzerland will be lucky for me again,” he said. The pressure of competition will be different, though Chopra backs his ability to bring out a big throw — “even a personal best”.

“You can't compare the qualifying round with the final. I was mentally and physically very relaxed in the qualifying and the javelin flew very well. Finals come with a different kind of pressure as everyone is ready to give their best. After the qualification, I thought I would hit 90m soon, but things felt very different in the final, India’s only double Worlds medallist said.

“With the Worlds gold, I have won everything. Now, only the 90m throw is left. Hopefully, I will achieve it soon.” Zurich is the last Diamond League meet that features men’s javelin though the Xiamen and Brussels legs follow before the season finale in Eugene, USA on September 16-17. With 16 points (from 2 D/L meets this season), Chopra is third in the standings which pretty much ensures his Eugene entry. Vadlejch (21 points, 3 events) and Weber (19, 3 events) are ahead of him in the list.

Sreeshankar in action

Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar will also be in action in Zurich. Sreeshankar, who has a season’s and personal best of 8.41m, jumped only 7.74m in Budapest, finishing 22nd overall to be eliminated in the qualification round. He is currently third in the long jump standings of this Diamond League season (10 points, 2 events).

Olympic and world champion Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece and Jamaicans Tajay Gayle and Carey McLeod will also be in action. Gayle won silver in Budapest (8.27m) while Tentoglou, who cleared 8.52m to take gold, leads the Diamond League standings with 21 points from three events.

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Stay updated with the latest sports news, including latest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, where Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all the action from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, follow your favourite football teams and players with the latest match results, and get the latest on international hockey tournaments and series.
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