Upsala: Star Indian javelin ace Neeraj Chopra admitted that he has finetuned his techniques and also found the optimum release angle ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. The Panipat-born Neeraj made the Tokyo Olympics cut throwing 87.86m in South Africa in 2020.
“Even at the (2018) Asian Games, I thought it was throwing it too high, which compromised my distance,” the 23-year-old, who currently training in Sweden, said. “Another issue was my throw tended to veer to the left side, at times threatening to go beyond the foul lines.
“Every time the javelin veers, it’s a waste of power. If the release angle is not right, you are not getting the maximum out of your throw. We identified these areas and addressed those issues. I can already see the improvement. If I get it right, my distance will further improve in Tokyo,” Neeraj added.
The 2016 junior world champion, Neeraj was out of action for almost nearly two years but made his presence felt every time he took the field and is considered as one of the top Indian medal prospects at the Tokyo Olympics.
Speaking about his preparation for the Tokyo Olympics, Neeraj has planned to increase the intensity two weeks before his event and is largely keeping to himself and relaxing by listening to music or meditating.
“I also visualise my throws, I’ve already imagined how I’d perform in Tokyo,” he added. “I imagine the arena and my throws. By the time I turn up, I’d have performed there several times even if it’s only in my mind.”
Meanwhile, the 23-year-old also stated that he wasn’t satisfied with his Kuortane Games bronze in Finland last month as he was throwing someone else’s spear. “The performance in Finland was also not my best, and there were technical issues, the height of the javelin was an issue.
“My javelin could not reach the venue that day as it got stuck in Stockholm, and I could not use it. So I had to use someone else’s javelin,” he added. Johannes Vetter threw 93.59m to win gold with Keshorn Walcott (89.12m) taking silver. Chopra sent the spear to a distance of 86.79m.
