Neeraj Chopra, India’s Olympic 2020 gold champion in javelin, will travel to South Africa later this month for off-season training to begin early preparation for next year’s competitions. The 26-year-old double Olympic medalist, who most recently participated in the Diamond League Final in Brussels in September, will spend 31 days in South Africa. The Sports Ministry will fund Chopra’s training camp.
Neeraj Chopra, India’s Olympic 2020 gold champion in javelin, will travel to South Africa later this month for off-season training to begin early preparation for next year’s competitions. The 26-year-old double Olympic medalist, who most recently participated in the Diamond League Final in Brussels in September, will spend 31 days in South Africa. The Sports Ministry will fund Chopra’s training camp. “(He) will begin his training early and will remain in Potchefstroom for 31 days,” the ministry stated on Friday.
Chopra fought an adductor muscle niggle all year, which hampered his performance in the Paris Olympics and the Diamond League Final, where he competed with a shattered left hand. He has previously mentioned consulting doctors at the end of the season to determine whether to have surgery to correct the ailment. However, in an interview with PTI on September 27, he downplayed injury concerns while also stating that he plans to improve his technique.
Chopra, who added a silver medal to his gold medal from the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, recently parted company with his German coach Klaus Bartonietz, marking the end of a highly successful five-year association. Indian athletics chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair told PTI that a new coach for Chopra is expected to be selected by the end of this year.
Chopra’s major goal for next year will be to defend his World Championship gold medal in Tokyo, while also working hard to break the 90-meter barrier. He won gold at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, with a throw of 88.17 meters.