Lausanne (Switzerland): A spree of wins embarked on consistently throwing the javelin over 88m has Neeraj Chopra satisfied with his performance so far, and he says '90m jab hona hoga ho jayga' (90m will happen when it has to happen) after his gold medal finish at the Diamond League meet.
As he prepares for the Diamond League finals, the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist touches on several aspects of this win while also talking about his rehabilitation due to groin injury post World Championships which had him miss the Commonwealth Games.
Read: Suryakumar sizzles in India's big win, team enters Super 4
Excerpts:
Q. This is the first Diamond League win for you. How does it feel to become the first Indian to have achieved the feat?
A. It felt great that this was the first win for India in the league as the world's best athletes participated in this tournament. There are only a few days in the league and athletes showcase their performances in that span. It was a great feeling to be one of the participants and it was followed up by a win. I hope many more athletes from our country participate in this tournament. It's a world-level competition and if we start performing in these competitions then we will do well in the Olympics, Asian Championship, and Commonwealth Games and it will surely lift the state of athletics in India.
Q. This also was your first competitive tournament after World Championships where you missed out on the Commonwealth Games too. Take us through your groin injury and your rehabilitation process over the past month...
A. Yes, this was my first competition and I had to skip Commonwealth Games due to groin injury. The pain was not that severe during that time and it seemed I would recuperate on time. And we withheld until last moment. I tried throwing the javelin during training and it went well. It was then that we decided that we can participate. There was a point when we thought we might as well have to end the season but rehabilitation was good. We also went to see a doctor in Germany. I also had a good training with my coach. We had a limited few days but we thought to focus on our rehabilitation process well.
Read: Never-say-die Serena into US Open third round
Q. You will have your eyes set on Diamond League Finals, slated on September 8. Do you have any targets for Zurich?
A. Yes, that is the last competition of this season. There are no such plans except that I have to maintain where I am currently. I don't have that much time to do anything extra and train more. I have to focus on how it has been going so far. I will try to end the season on a good note with a good health. Everybody is asking about 90m but I am happy that I am consistent. 90m will happen when it has to happen. I don't want to take any pressure.
(For full interview, click on the audio embedded in the story)
Interesting stats after Neeraj's win in Lausanne
- Neeraj became the first Indian athlete to win a Diamond League meet.
- He threw a best throw of 89.08m, his third best throw ever.
- The Tokyo Olympics gold medallist has now qualified for the Diamond League finals, which will be held in Zurich (Javelin on Sept 8)
- With the throw, he also qualified for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest next year.
