India's Javelin sensation Neeraj Chopra has set his target on the magical 90m mark and looks to stay fit to breach it. The world champion recently conceded his Olympic title to Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem after finishing second at the Paris Games on Thursday, August 8.
Neeraj is the first track and field athlete from India to win medals at two different Olympic Games. He had won a gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics before. However, the 26-year-old has not managed to breach the elusive mark ever in his career.
"I've wanted to cross that mark since the 2018 Asian Games where I threw 88m. I feel like I'll cross 90m, but there are technical and injury reasons behind why I'm struggling to hit my maximum reach. I have to work harder for that and keep myself fit," Neeraj said during a press conference alongside Arshad Nadeem after the Olympics final.
Neeraj, Arshad look to popularise Javelin in their nations
In their address to the media, the two Javelin stars also said that they look to popularise the Javelin throw sport in their nations. "It's already grown a lot. We're already seeing more talented javelin throwers in India. The same is happening in Pakistan," Chopra said when asked whether their success will see athletics becoming popular in both India and Pakistan.
"When we went to the Asian Games and Arshad couldn't compete due to a knee injury, his replacement, Yasir Sultan, threw very well. The medal Arshad just won will inspire more kids to follow, which is great," Chopra said on Jio Cinema.
Meanwhile, Arshad Nadeem highlighted the growth of India and Pakistan in the Javelin event. "I'm really happy. Out of the hundreds of countries participating, Pakistan and India have performed really well. Neeraj won gold at the (2023) World Championships in Budapest, and this is a golden moment for me," he said. "Our friendship is really strong, and I wish it continues for a long time," Arshad added.
Chopra also congratulated his Pakistan compatriot and hoped the competition would remain strong. "It was a very healthy competition, with Arshad doing a great job and breaking the Olympic record. Big congratulations to him. I wish our competition continues to be this strong."
