Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra feeling no pressure heading into world athletics championships
Tokyo champion Neeraj Chopra will look for his first world championship medal in the USA later this month.
Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra is on a record-breaking spree since returning to action last month.
Neeraj Chopra achieved a personal best of 89.94m javelin throw at the Stockholm Diamond League 2022 on Thursday to rewrite his own national record, set 16 days ago at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland.
However, the national record, which Neeraj Chopra registered in his first attempt, wasn’t enough to fetch him a top spot in Stockholm. Reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, with a monstrous 90.31m effort in his third attempt, hit a new meet record to win the gold.
“When Peters crossed the 90m-mark, I thought I had to chase it,” Neeraj Chopra said after the event. “But the body starts to lose a bit of energy after every throw. I was happy with the fact that I could record good throws in all my attempts.” Neeraj Chopra, who logged valid throws in all six attempts, said.
This was Neeraj Chopra’s first appearance in the Diamond League since 2018 and his next stop will be World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA from July 15 to 24.
Anju Bobby George's women's long jump bronze at Paris in 2003 remains India's only medal at the athletics world championships.
“I feel no pressure even though I know India has only one medal at the world championships,” Neeraj Chopra said while adding that he is just focussing on getting the basics right and giving his best.
“I am competing with a free mind, training well and giving my 100 per cent in the competitions, that’s it. A lot depends on how I feel when I touch down in Oregon for the world championships.”
Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics inspired a lot of young Indians to take up sports. Neeraj Chopra was also the most searched sports personality in India on Google last year.
Talking about his popularity, and how the pressure of being an Olympic champion plays on his mind, Neeraj Chopra said he doesn’t feel any pressure and is really happy about how athletics was taking off in India.
“Many Indians are streaming athletics online and came to watch the event in Stockholm. The Indian ambassador in Stockholm also came to meet me. I felt very happy about it,” Neeraj Chopra said.
“I wondered if there would be pressure on me, being an Olympic champion after Tokyo 2020. But there's nothing like it. I go out there on the field and play with a free mind,” Chopra added.
After competing at the world championships, Neeraj Chopra will look to defend his title at the Commonwealth Games 2022 to be held in Birmingham, UK from July 28 to August 8.