Olympic javelin champion Neeraj Chopra secured a gold medal at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland, alleviating concerns about his fitness as he prepares for the Paris Olympics. While his winning throw of 85.97m fell short of his personal best, Chopra expressed satisfaction with his performance and physical condition.
The 26-year-old athlete, who made history as India’s first track-and-field Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo, withdrew from the Ostrava Golden Spike meeting last month due to an adductor muscle injury. However, there were no signs of discomfort as he completed all six throws in Finland.
“I am happy with my adductor now because I could do all six throws,” Chopra remarked on the tournament website. “I will try to stay healthy in the next weeks because then I will throw my best throws.”
Despite his success, Chopra acknowledged his recurring adductor issues, stating, “Every year I have some problems with my adductor, maybe after the Olympics, I am going to talk to different doctors.” He had also missed the Ostrava meet last year due to a similar injury.
Chopra plans to continue training in Germany under his coach Klaus Bartonietz, with potential additional training in Turkey before the Olympics. “Most of the time I train with my coach and physio, but from time to time we exchange with other coaches like Jan Zelezny,” he noted, referring to the Czech javelin great.
With Chopra’s determination and commitment evident, India looks forward to his performance at the Paris Olympics, where he will aim to further solidify his place in athletics history.
