Panipat (Haryana): The reigning Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra will launch his title defence in the men's javelin throw competition at the ongoing Asian Games in Hangzhou on October 4. The Indian ace had set a national record with a massive throw to finish on top of the podium in Jakarta in the 2018 Asian Games. Hoping for his highly successful 2023 season with a repeat of his winning show in Jakarta, his family said that Neeraj will make the entire nation proud once again in the Asian Games.
Talking to ETV Bharat, Neeraj Chopra's uncle Bhim Chopra said, "I spoke to Neeraj just a few days ago. He seems very confident about the Asian Games. He is completely prepared to make the nation proud once again. He said that he wants to be better than before. Over the years, he has learned to manage pressure and focus on his game. He will definitely bring gold to the nation as he has been practising for it."
Bhim Chopra further said, "Something that helped Neeraj during his formative years was his family's support. Our entire household unified for his dream of becoming the world's number one Javelin thrower. We all supported him in fulfilling his dream. Everyone in the family made sure that Neeraj got proper guidance in this field."
He further said, "Neeraj has been working hard continuously for the last 11 years to achieve his dreams. To achieve something, one has to make a lot of sacrifices in life. Neeraj too sacrificed a lot. He stayed away from his family for training. Even though he stayed away from his family, Neeraj is very close to us all. Through determination and hard work, he has fulfilled his dream of becoming an ace Javelin thrower. He did not achieve this overnight. He practised hard for this."
The proud uncle said, "We often discuss his future plans whenever we talk. Neeraj says he wants to focus on his game and bring more glory to the nation by winning several other tournaments." Talking about Neeraj Chopra's wins, he said that Neeraj won a gold medal in the World Junior Championship in 2016. In the same year, he won a gold medal in the South Asian Games.
In 2017, he won a gold medal at the Asian Championships. The next year, Neeraj brought home a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games. In the same year, he registered his name in golden letters at the Asian Games in Jakarta. In 2020, he won a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics. In 2022, he won a gold medal in the Diamond League and won a silver medal in the Diamond League held in 2023.
