CHENNAI: When Neeraj Chopra is introduced to the spectators at the Qatar Sports Club Stadium a little after 7.30 PM local time (10 PM IST) on Friday, it will mark the beginning of a new era for India's only active two-time Olympic medallist in athletics. For so long, the long-haired, bandana-wearing Chopra, the man responsible for leading a javelin revolution in the country, had in his corner the German biomechanics expert, Klaus Bartonietz.
That highly successful association — two Olympic medals including a gold in 2021, a similar haul at the Worlds and other big-ticket events — came to an end late last year after the 76-year-old quit the programme to spend some time with his family.
Athletes are generally creatures of habit. Even before heading to sleep the previous night, their next 24 hours are carefully mapped to ensure every minute is spent in becoming the best versions of themselves. Considering that, moving beyond a coach who had been a part of his shadow for the last five years is a significant challenge.
Manisha Malhotra, the head of sports excellence and scouting at JSW Sports, said it's a 'new phase' for Chopra. "I think it's like a new phase for Neeraj and he is optimistic about his preparation and form," she said. "He is healthy, fit and looking forward to a good season. Obviously, this year the main goal is the Worlds and he will look to repeat winning there (the javelin ace has a longstanding partnership with JSW Sports)."
The 27-year-old was predictably asked about his fledgling alliance with Jan Zelezny, the Czech great who had become synonymous with javelin late last century. "With Jan, it's going really well, in the beginning it was challenging but now it's going well," Chopra told reporters in the pre-event press conference ahead of the Doha Diamond League on Thursday. "It has helped me, not just in training. He was great when he was competing himself. So he is helping me with other things, like how you have to be strong and compete with a strong mindset. It's going really well."
The Indian delved deeper into the kind of 'challenges' he has faced under the Czech. "It was a new experience for me," he said.
"In the beginning it was hard, but after two weeks I really liked it and now I did some really great sessions and everything is going very well. We changed some little things in technique and I feel good. Also I always had some problem in my groin and this time, I have never missed any session, so I feel very confident about it."
That should help Chopra ease into the season with the target of peaking at the World Championships in Tokyo in September. Considering the Indian had been bogged down with a persistent and niggling groin problem before, during and after the Paris Games, he may now be pain free. As always, the one question is whether he can finally breach the 90m mark.
With Zelezny by his side — the Czech great used to do that in his sleep (he has over 50 legal throws beyond 90m) — this could be the year when he sails past that mark. Even from a competition standpoint, Chopra needs to have it in his locker. With a stacked field and plenty of 90m throwers, consistently good is good but consistently good with at least one explosive throw is better.
Take this example. Chopra is the World No 2 but he's also the one of the only two inside the top six without a legitimate 90m throw. When you add the likes of Arshad Nadeem, whose monster 92m earned him global gold in Paris, and Chopra knows he has to start hitting that mark to finish to be in with a chance of the big medals. For these are the margins at the elite level. Normally, Chopra, yet to finish outside the top two in each of the last 20 finals, wouldn't be unhappy with where he's at.
But he is coming of three consecutive second-place finishes (excluding the invitational in South Africa in April 2025). When you are so used to dominating fields and eviscerating your opposition in the manner he has done in the past, second isn't good enough. Either go big or go home.
Don't have a strong relationship with Nadeem
He was also asked to expand on his relationship with Nadeem in the aftermath of the terror attack in Pahalgam and the subsequent escalation between India and Pakistan (Chopra also found himself on the receiving end of a seemingly orchestrated troll attack on social media after he had invited Nadeem to the since postponed NC Classic, a standalone elite javelin meet in Bengaluru). "I really want to clarify that I don't have a very strong relationship (Nadeem)," he said. "Javelin throwers are a relatively small community, and everyone competes for their country, aiming to give their best. So, it will continue to be that way. However, given the current circumstances, things won't be the same."
That, though, will become background noise as the focus this season will be on winning global gold in Tokyo, four years after winning the Olympics in the same city.