Javelin gold in Paris more important than 90m throw for India’s Neeraj Chopra, says coach

NEW DELHI – India’s Neeraj Chopra is keen to join javelin’s elite 90-metre club but will happily settle for a shorter throw in Paris if it proves enough for him to hold on to his Olympic title, his coach said.

The mop-haired Chopra catapulted himself into instant stardom three years ago when he threw 87.58m in Tokyo to earn independent India’s first Olympic gold medal in athletics.

The 26-year-old has gone on to become the world champion and, in 2022, registered a personal best of 89.94m at the Stockholm Diamond League.

Chopra is asked about the 90m mark in practically every media interaction, but retaining the Olympic title remains his absolute priority, his coach Klaus Bartonietz insisted.

“A medal is more important than a mark. The mark increases almost every year, but the medal stays. Nobody asks Neeraj how far his throw reached in Tokyo. It was 87.58 and it was enough. If it’s 85 and still gets you an Olympic gold, you should be okay with it,” he said.

Bartonietz also said it was tough for athletes to produce personal bests at the Olympics because of the pressure that accompanies performing on the biggest stage in sport.

Although the 90m mark has been surpassed 125 times by 24 athletes since the competition javelin was redesigned in 1986, only three of those throws have come in Olympic competition.

“I’d be happy if Neeraj can produce his PB in Paris. It should be enough. It’s one thing to throw 90m, and a totally different thing to do it in the most important competition in a four-year cycle,” Bartonietz added.

However, Chopra, the first Indian to win the Diamond League trophy, has been remarkably consistent in big events, and Bartonietz said he would not be surprised if the thrower from Haryana hits the magical mark in Paris.

“I’d say he’s close to the mark. For several years, he has been throwing 87-to-high 88s consistently... It will be nice to join the 90m club of throwers,” the German said.

Chopra began his season with a second-placed finish at the Diamond League meeting in Doha on May 10, falling 2cm short of Jakub Vadlejch’s winning throw of 88.38m.

Bartonietz said the idea was to keep the athlete in good shape before the Olympics to ensure he would not “mess it up at the most crucial time”.

One way of doing that was to shield him from any pressure, the coach said, adding: “If you allow yourself to be under pressure, it may break you.” REUTERS