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Exclusive: Lockdown days: Neeraj Chopra: Slackline routines and dreaming of Olympics

Neeraj Chopra has emerged as India’s brightest hope for a medal in Olympics. The javelin thrower had clinched gold in Asian Games and in Commonwealth Games in 2018. Exclusive interview with Neeraj.

Neeraj Chopra, the ace javelin thrower, is making all efforts to be ready for Tokyo Olympics 2021

Bengaluru, April 17: Neeraj Chopra has emerged as India's brightest hope for a medal in Olympics and other international events. The 22-year-old javelin thrower had clinched gold in Asian Games as well as in the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and had also set the new national record covering a distance of 88.06 metre.

Neeraj currently is in NIS Patiala as the country is under a lockdown till May 3 due to the Coronavirus pandemic. But he is making all efforts to maintain top shape and dreaming of the day when he will step on to the field in an Olympics. MyKhel touched base with the 22-year-old over a range of topics in this freewheeling chat.

1. You have been in self-isolation in Patiala, how mentally tough it was going through such a phase especially as an outdoor athlete?

Ans: It is definitely not an easy situation to be in since as athletes, we are used to a set routine of training. On usual days, most of my schedule is planned around training and work in the gym, so it is tough. But at the same time, the current situation with the coronavirus pandemic is unlike anything we've faced ever before, so I think we need to look at it from that perspective. Everyone's facing this issue and the health and well-being of the world is the priority right now, so all we can do is think of this as a positive and keep ourselves motivated till we wait for the situation to improve.

2. You had to take an emergency flight out of Turkey after the COVID-19 outbreak last month. How was that experience, were you anxious because such situations do not arrive often?

Ans: I was training in Turkey with Rohit Yadav and our coach Dr Klaus Bartonietz. Shivpal Singh was with the other group of javelin throwers under coach Uwe Hohn in South Africa. For us, the experience wasn't very hard. We knew the situation was getting serious and then we were informed that the government would be stopping flights after March 18 so we didn't have an option really. We were in constant touch with the Federation and when they suggested we return, we decided to come back since it would be a lot better to be in India than outside during such uncertain times.

3. These are lockdown days in India and sporting activities are severely restricted. As a javelin thrower, which is essentially an outdoor sport, how are you managing to keep in touch with the sport?

Ans: Like I said, the lockdown has made it difficult for us to train as usual, mostly because we don't have access to the track since we are in isolation. However, the Sports Authority of India, along with the AFI and the staff at the National Institute of Sport, Patiala have made a lot of arrangements to ensure we can be comfortable. For me, I am focusing on working on my conditioning and fitness to the extent possible using the area in the hostel we are at. I try to keep my routine as normal as I would and train twice a day on most days.

4. Any special lockdown routine for you?

Ans: Nothing special, but I am focusing on my conditioning and fitness. I try to do some shuttle runs in a small area we have, besides that, I'm using the stairs, working on my core stability and we even have a space for a slackline, which is a good javelin-specific exercise we focus on.

5. You'd won the Asian Games gold and CWG gold in 2018 and you seem to be on top of the game right now despite that elbow injury last year (2019). In that sense, will the postponement of Tokyo Olympics to 2021 affect your preparation and mindset or is it good because you will have a few more months to polish your skills?

Ans: The past two years have been quite a ride. I did have a very good 2018 season, but missed out on the entire 2019 season because of the surgery I had to undergo on my elbow and the rehabilitation after that. Having said that, I had a successful rehabilitation at the Inspire Institute of Sport in Bellary first and then at NIS Patiala, and this helped me get back my strength, and I was able to qualify for the Olympics in my first competition back in South Africa this January. So while I was short of some competition experience, I think I would have been ready for the Olympics had they gone on as scheduled. However, with the postponement, I do feel I would be able to get more time to fine-tune some of my technical skills and am looking at it as a positive in terms of my preparations for the Olympics.

6. The World Athletics has suspended Olympics qualification until November this year. In that sense, are you relieved that you have already qualified for the Games?

Ans: I don't think of that as such and I don't think I would have been affected by it in any case. The decision by World Athletics has obviously been taken after considering a range of factors and they are the experts at that. I try to keep things as simple as possible: my job as a javelin thrower is to stay in good shape and do my best at each competition. From that perspective, the change in Qualification period doesn't affect me. Yes, I'm happy that I was able to qualify on my first competition back, but I would have backed myself to cross the 85m mark, as long as I am in good physical shape and form.

7. This is going to be your first Olympics. How excited are you to compete in the grandest of all sporting arenas?

Ans: The Olympics is by far the biggest stage of them all for any sportsperson, so I'm looking forward to it. Last time around, I was focusing on the Junior World Championships and missed qualifying by a few days, but doing well at the Olympics has been my target for the past many years now. For now, I'm hoping and praying that we can all get through this pandemic safely, but that target is still very much something I think about and the chance to represent India and do well at the Olympics is always in my mind.

8. There is a lot of hope around you as a potential Olympic medal winner, thanks to your strong past performances. How do you keep away from such talks and concentrate on your sport and preparations for the big event?

Ans: I don't take any sort of pressure from the talks. I feel honoured and privileged that people talk this way about me and my performances. It motivates me that people rate me so highly and want me to do well, which is a good feeling. Personally, I don't think about milestones or medals, but like to take each competition as it comes and focus on doing my best and becoming better with each competition. My sport is also such that on any given day, there are so many variables beyond me, including how my competitors perform. So, the best thing I can do is focus on the factors under my control, which is my performance and the way I throw the javelin, so that's what I focus on.

Story first published: Friday, April 17, 2020, 13:18 [IST]
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