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Neeraj Chopra's ex-coach breaks silence on World C'ships heartbreak, opens up on guiding Walcott to glory: ‘I was sad’
Dr Klaus Bartonietz and Neeraj Chopra parted ways in October last year. At the time, Bartonietz was 75-years-old.
Neeraj Chopra failed to successfully defend his title at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Thursday, coming eighth in the men's javelin throw final. The Tokyo Olympics gold medallist failed to find any rhythm and could only register a best throw of 84.03m.
He struggled to cross the 85m mark in his attempts and was eliminated in the penultimate round. Meanwhile, Keshorn Walcott won his first global title since his Olympic gold in 2012, winning the men's javelin throw final in Tokyo with a best throw of 88.16m.
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It was a stark contrast of performances for both athletes as the Trinidad and Tobago man has never been the same since his Olympic heroics. Meanwhile, Neeraj has always finished in the top-two, since coming third at the Kourtane Games in 2021. A run which spanned four years and 26 consecutive competitions.
‘I was sad’: Neeraj Chopra's former coach
Despite the differences, the pair share one thing in common: German biomechanics expert Dr Klaus Bartonietz, also Neeraj's former coach.
Bartonietz and Neeraj parted ways in October last year. At the time, Bartonietz was 75-years-old. Since then, Neeraj has appointed javelin legend Jan Zelezny as his coach.
Bartonietz began working with Walcott, the same month he and Neeraj parted ways. When Neeraj had his nightmare experience in Tokyo on Thursday, Bartonietz was also present in the stadium, sitting next to Zelezny. But this time, he was there for Walcott.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Bartonietz expressed his disappointment with Neeraj's performance. He said, “I was sad. He tried so hard and trained so well.”
"He has won Olympic gold, world championships gold, Asian Games champ… everything and he is a role model."
Opening up on working with Walcott, he said, "His manager approached me when he heard that I am no more in India. I said maybe a bit. I left India because I am 77 and did not want to die on the track."
"I was with Walcott in Paris Diamond League, competitions in Europe like Poland and in Brussels he was alone. Then two weeks of training in Switzerland,” he added.
Meanwhile, he also commented on Sachin Yadav's performance, who outperformed Neeraj in Tokyo, coming fourth. "Because his throwing movement into the release was ok technically, the flight phase was effective. So he had a flat landing (as opposed to javelin’s sudden dip from a height) maximizing distance by making use of aerodynamics. This means his release angles were ok," he said, while speaking to The Indian Express.
