Neeraj Chopra began his Diamond League title defense with a win in the Doha leg but the Tokyo Olympics champion javelin thrower said he will push himself more in the upcoming competitions this season.
Chopra, who had bagged the 2022 Diamond League final trophy, won the season-opening leg with a best throw of 88.67 meters to beat a star-studded field at the Qatar Sports Club on Friday night.
“This season I’ll stay fit and consistent and I’ll try to do my best in the next competitions. I plan to stay fit and do more than I can,” said Chopra, who has his eyes set on breaching the coveted 90m mark.
Chopra will next feature in the Ostrava Golden Spike event in the Czech Republic, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold level meeting on June 27.
Chopra’s current training base is in Antalya, Turkey. “I hope to come in first place in the next competitions and keep consistency during this season,” he said.
Chopra’s best throw came on his first attempt, which was his career’s fourth-best effort. The Olympics champion had ample support as his compatriots came out to cheer him against a quality field that included the likes of reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada and Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic. However, the throws were quite underwhelming compared to last year when both his rivals sent the spear beyond 90m.
Chopra had even acknowledged the reputation of Doha facilitating 90m-plus throws ahead of the event, but a strong headwind on Friday made it challenging for the participants to hit the mark.
“It was challenging for all athletes, but I’m still satisfied with my result. It’s a great atmosphere. Today was challenging, next time I’ll do more throws,” Chopra said.
Source URL: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/sports/doha-conquered-neeraj-chopra-eyes-more-glory-ahead-505533