Neeraj Chopra all set for busy 2023 season: ‘Know how to perform in big ticket events’
The Olympic javelin throw champion will compete in the Diamond League and World Athletics Championships this year, among other meets. Here’s Chopra’s full schedule.
Athletics
Indian javelin thrower and reigning Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra started his 2023 athletics season with the Doha Diamond League on May 5.
Neeraj Chopra is the reigning Diamond League champion. He won the coveted title in September last year at the finals in Zurich, becoming the first Indian athlete to win the prestigious trophy.
The Indian javelin throw ace will be looking to defend his crown this season starting with the Doha leg of the Diamond League, to be held at the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium in Qatar.
Neeraj Chopra’s 2023 schedule will also include big-ticket events like the Asian Games and the world athletics championships.
“Preparation has been really good. We have been focusing on my strength. Now, we are working on the technical aspect and trying to fine-tune things before Doha (Diamond League). This is going to be a long season with the Asian Games in September-October, so I want to make myself technically better than before,” Neeraj Chopra said during a chat with Olympics.com.
The javelin throw ace is also the reigning Asian Games champion having won the gold medal in 2018 Asia in Jakarta Indonesia. He will aim to defend his crown at this year’s Asian Games scheduled in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8.
Neeraj Chopra won the silver medal at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, in the USA last year and will look to go one better in the 2023 edition, scheduled in Budapest, Hungary from August 19 to 27.
Neeraj Chopra, who holds the Indian national record in men’s javelin throw, did not compete since the Zurich meet last year due to an injury.
With the Paris 2024 Olympics scheduled for next year, the 2023 season will be an important one for the 25-year-old Neeraj Chopra, who will be looking to defend his Olympic title in France.
“I know that the pressure and expectations will be high from Paris 2024 but all these years, I have learnt how to maintain myself and how to focus on big competitions and how to perform on the big platforms like the Olympics.
“The last medal will motivate me for the next one, and the Tokyo Olympics medal has been a big motivation for the next Games,” Neeraj Chopra added.
Neeraj Chopra was slated to compete at the FBK Games in the Netherlands and the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland in June. The Indian, however, skipped the two events due to an injury he suffered during training.
Neeraj Chopra schedule for 2023 athletics season
*Competition list will be updated