Neeraj Chopra the star, and mentor

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 13

Olympics champion Neeraj Chopra does not want to be known as the leader of India’s javelin group. Rather, he would like to be a part of the journey of upcoming javelin throwers such as Rohit Yadav and DP Manu.

Chopra, who is currently training in Chula Vista, the USA, is all set to participate in the World Championships, beginning on Friday. With the Indian squad joining Chopra in the USA, the 24-year-old has been spending some time with Yadav, who will make his World Championships debut.

“I have been telling him (Rohit) to give his best in the qualification round,” Chopra said. “He has thrown over 82 metres. If he betters it, he may qualify for the finals. …automatic qualification should happen with a throw of 84m,” he added.

“If he reaches the final, it will be a great experience for him. But I told him to not be under any pressure. You never know when everything falls into place. I gave him my own example from 2016, when I improved from 82.23m in the SAF Games in February to 86.48m in the World Junior Championships in July,” he added.

Chopra is also keenly following the path of Manu, who threw 84.35m at the inter-state championships in Chennai recently. “His range is big, and his consistency will improve. We are seeing a lot of competition at the national level,” he explained.

Looking forward to Worlds

Chopra is coming into the World Championships after having improved his own national record twice in competitions in Europe.

“Those competitions were good. I recorded two personal best throws so I am feeling good these days,” he said. “It was good for my confidence. I have been fairly consistent, and I came very close to the 90m mark,” he added.

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