CHENNAI: TRAINING has been as per plan and as things stand, he is fit and raring to go. Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra is expected to begin his season at Diamond League like last year. Neeraj himself announced his decision on the Doha Diamond League website.
With Olympics in July-August, this is going be a crucial year and pacing his events would be critical as well. In short, he would be looking to remain injury-free and fresh by the time javelin qualification day on August 6 and final on August 8. He finished first at Doha last year.
World No 1 Neeraj told the DL website, “Last year my dream was to win the World Championships, but to have three Indian athletes competing in the final — that shows we’re progressing as a nation.” Joining him at the DL will be Kishore Jena, who finished fifth at the World Championships last year.
The 26-year-old also said that his sole aim would be to defend his Olympic crown he secured in deferred Tokyo Games three years ago. “This year, my personal goal is to defend my Olympic title, but it would also mean a lot to me to break the 90m barrier,” he said. “The Doha Meeting, with good conditions and a great atmosphere, is a perfect opportunity to get my season off to the best start.”