Potchefstroom, a leafy university town in the north-west of South
Africa will be Neeraj Chopra's training base for the next three months.
With an eye on the Tokyo Olympics, the javelin star is expected to
bolster his coaching staff with the addition of Dr Klaus Bartonietz, a
renowned bio-mechanist from Germany. His current coach Uwe Hohn under
whom Neeraj won the gold medals at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth
Games will continue to head his coaching program. Potchefstroom is a
popular training hub for top javelin throwers from all over the world
who escape the bitter cold in Europe to converge in this city in the
southern hemisphere which enjoys a mild summer from January to March.
The likes of former world and Olympic champion Jan Zelezny had made it
their training base, a practice followed by the current world champion
Johannes Vetter.
"2018 has been a dream year and I am within touching distance of the
90m mark. This means I am very much in the reckoning for an Olympic
medal," says Neeraj in an interview with Firstpost.
Neeraj achieved his personal best of 88. 06 metres at the Asian Games in
Jakarta. Only five other athletes have registered better throws than
Neeraj this year with Vetter leading the chart with an effort of 92.70
metres.
"There is not much difference between the top throws this season and my
current personal best. On my good day, I can beat the best throwers in
the world. I do not want to touch 90 metres in just one odd tournament
and struggle with 85 metres in other five meets. I would prefer to have
88 metres in all the five meets. So in my training, I am focussing to
maintain consistency," adds Neeraj currently training in Patiala before
flying out to South Africa. "I really trained hard in 2018 because
Commonwealth Games and Asian Games were my targets for a long time. It
also helped that I was mostly injury-free throughout the year. In 2019, I
have set my sights on the World Championship to be held in Doha in
September-October. I will also be taking part in the Diamond League
meets."
As the year draws towards the close, the 20-year-old is one of the
popular choices as the Indian sportsperson of 2018. Starved of heroes in
the athletics arena, Neeraj's success story on the big stage has made
him an instant celebrity. Adding to the allure has been his good looks,
earthy personality and an inspiring story of emerging from a
non-descript village in Haryana.
Followed by Bollywood stars and
political leaders on social media, Neeraj is one of the most
recognisable faces in Indian sports, regularly adorning the cover pages
of magazines. "Recognition by Bollywood stars and politicians is
satisfying but what gives me the real high is to see people following
the sport of javelin so closely because of me. People had no idea about
the sport and I am proud that I have managed to make it popular with my
success.
"In the last few months, I have met many celebrities ranging from
actors to top cricketers but I have never been star struck. To me, my
biggest hero continues to be my first javelin coach Jaiveer who inspired
me to take the sport."
In his native village of Khandra near Panipat in Haryana, Neeraj's
achievements have also brought about a change. "No one knew about this
place a few years ago but today if you google Khandra, the name pops up
instantly as Neeraj Chopra's village. His achievements have created a
unique bond among the villagers. Every time Neeraj takes part in an
international event which is televised, the entire population of over
three thousand people watch the action together. It is as if he does not
belong to just one family but to the entire village. He has managed to
blur so many divides among the villagers," asserts Bhim Chopra, uncle of
Neeraj. "If you ask us to compare which victory of his was most
satisfying for us between his under-20 world championship triumph,
Commonwealth Games and Asian Games gold, I would rate the Asian Games on
top. This was because Neeraj was the flag bearer of the Indian
contingent at this meet and there was pressure on him to perform."
"His busy training regimen has meant Neeraj has managed to spend just
one full day with his parents and family in the last couple of months
in Khandra. He will once again be away for the next three months in
South Africa. It is a sacrifice that we as a family will have to make
for realising his Olympic dreams." Neeraj belongs to a joint family of
17 members and to make up for his physical absence, the family elders
have formed a WhatsApp group to stay connected with him. "The group is
called Aapna Shakti Apna Parivar and Neeraj's father was the last to
join the group after he got his first smartphone so that he could stay
in touch with his son," reveals Bhim.
Fame and adulation can be tough to handle for most twenty-year-olds
but his family is happy that Neeraj has managed to shrug off the
distractions and is targeting an Olympic medal with monk-like
dedication.
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