Neeraj Chopra On Paris 2024 Gold Hopes: When Wearing India Jersey, Pressure 'Inevitable'

Despite all his success at the biggest stage, Chopra believes there is bound to be pressure on him when he takes the field in quest of another Olympic gold. Putting forth that training and competition are akin to chalk and cheese, the 26-year-old from Khandra told SAI media that “managing pressure will be inevitable once you enter the Games Village and start focusing on your event.”

Chopra is on a mini break after his stint in South Africa, and will be training in Turkey from this week onwards before he returns to outdoor competition at the Doha Diamond League in May for the first time in 2024. The world champion said he is in “top physical shape” and “has never felt so good before.”

The build-up to Tokyo 2020 Olympics was a challenging one for Chopra, who had missed a full season owing to injuries. “I want to be in the best possible shape before Paris. My training sessions have gone really well so far. I always lay stress on fitness along with strength and technique. This is the best I have felt in a long time but I must add that training and competition are not the same. When you wear the India jersey, the feeling is different, the josh (enthusiasm) in us is unbelievable,” he added.

The ace Indian athlete said the years after the Tokyo 2020 title have been “very different,” and stated that his performance is proof that his preparation for global tournaments is going well. “I have won medals in two world championships, threw my personal best (89.94 metres at Stockholm), won a dream Diamond League title and even defended my gold at the Asian Games. All in all, I have been in a great space and want to carry forward that momentum from May onwards,” said Chopra.

Always endeavouring to evolve, Chopra believes his best is yet to come. “I have felt at my best only once before during the 2016 World Junior Championship. But after that, I think I can do better and am still not satisfied. I am working hard and let’s see where I finish,” the javelin superstar said.

He added that German youngster Max Dehning’s 90.20 metres effort at a German winter meet recently “did not add any pressure”, but only indicated that the level of competition this year will be stiff once again.

Asked if he feels that the elusive 90 metres mark is a motivator, Chopra reiterated that “distance does not matter to him.” He explained: “What matters to me is staying 100% fit, being consistent during the season and delivering on the day that matters. I think there are mistakes to fix and looking at the increasing competition all around, one has to keep improving. The road will close if you think you have done it all.”