Thrower Jena aiming for big show alongside idol Neeraj
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha’s javelin thrower Kishore Kumar Jena has made it to the final list of athletes qualified for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary from 19 August to 27 August 2023. Jena is the first Odisha athlete to qualify for World Championships and Asian Games in throwing events.
In the recently concluded National Inter-State Senior Athletic Championships, Jena clinched the silver medal by throwing a personal best of 81.05m. Subsequently, he broke that record and bagged the gold medal with 84.38m in the Sri Lanka National Athletics Championship, moving up to 36th in the world rankings.
Jena hadn’t touched the 80m mark until 2022, however, his performances have reached new heights this year. “I was not able to break the 80m distance. My coach Samarjeet Singh Malhi sir made a few technical changes to my throw. He showed me the technical changes. Earlier, I used to start from a 16m run, he advised me to start from 22m. Another change he made is to hold the javelin a little behind. These changes gave me a positive result, now I am aiming for the 90m mark,” Jena told this daily
While he is growing from strength to strength, Jena did not forget his roots. After all, his family is his pillar of strength. “My father Keshab Jena is a farmer and my mother Harapriya Jena are residing at Kothasahi village, Brahmagiri, Puri. They always supported me. Among the seven siblings, I am the youngest and only son of my family. My six elder sisters always stood rock solid with me and encouraged me. In every ‘Raksha Bandhan’ festival, I missed them a lot due to my schedule,” he said.
Jena will be one of three Indian male javelin throwers at the Worlds alongside Neeraj Chopra and DP Manu. “After my Sri Lanka performance, my idol Neeraj Chopra bhai congratulated me. That means a lot to me. After almost six years, I will meet Neeraj bhai in Budapest. In the year 2016-17, I saw him during the University Games and Federation Cup. I will take his blessing before I take my first throw in the World Athletics Championship. I am focussing on the upcoming World Championships and Asian Games. If I achieve a little better than my personal best, I will book my ticket for the Paris Olympic Games,” added Jena, who is currently working with CISF.