{"id":111631,"date":"2024-08-10T03:41:13","date_gmt":"2024-08-10T03:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/10\/but-for-my-recurring-groin-injury-i-couldve-thrown-4m-further-neeraj-chopra-paris-olympics-2024-news-times-of-india\/"},"modified":"2024-08-10T03:41:13","modified_gmt":"2024-08-10T03:41:13","slug":"but-for-my-recurring-groin-injury-i-couldve-thrown-4m-further-neeraj-chopra-paris-olympics-2024-news-times-of-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/10\/but-for-my-recurring-groin-injury-i-couldve-thrown-4m-further-neeraj-chopra-paris-olympics-2024-news-times-of-india\/","title":{"rendered":"But for my recurring groin injury, I could\u2019ve thrown 4m further: Neeraj Chopra | Paris Olympics 2024 News – Times of India"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PARIS: When Pakistan\u2019s Arshad Nadeem cleared 92.97 metres with his effortless second throw in the javelin final Thursday night, the pressure was on Neeraj Chopra to better it.
The Indian believed he could do it, but in his desperation to go past his Pakistani rival\u2019s mark, he ended up with four foul throws. Trying to come to terms with his first loss to Nadeem since 2016, Neeraj, who threw 89.45m and bagged silver, said a nagging groin injury has been bothering him.
\u201cWhen I get ready for my throws, 70-80% of my focus is on my injury as I don\u2019t want to aggravate it. My speed drops and so I start pushing myself. Before the last World Championships, the doctor had advised me to go for surgery. But I didn\u2019t have the time. I couldn\u2019t do it before Olympics either. But (now) I will have to make a big decision,\u201d the current world champion said here after the event, adding that the same throw could have been four metres further had he been in perfect shape.<\/p>\n
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Despite the disappointment of not winning back-to-back Olympic gold, many consider Neeraj the greatest-ever Indian athlete. He, though, remains humble. \u201cIt\u2019s been a great journey after starting from a small village,\u201d he said.
\u2018I still have many good throws left in me\u2019<\/span>
Starting off, Neeraj never believed he would be on the Olympic podium one day. \u201cI didn\u2019t have the physique or the background. I don\u2019t know how I reached this far,\u201d Neeraj said.
Talking about his injury, \u201cIt was in 2017 that I felt the groin pain for the first time and after that I had a lot of treatment. At the beginning of this year, everything was perfect. Maybe (I have to undergo) surgery\u2026 I will speak to my team and make a decision,\u201d Neeraj said. The champion athlete had tried to play down the injury in the build-up to the Olympics, but now that it\u2019s all down, he was ready to explain how difficult it was. \u201cI was not able to throw using my full runway for the last couple of years.
Normally, we make 40-50 throws in each session. But in my case the session itself was happening once every two or three weeks because of the injury scare. Till you throw, you are not working with the javelin and then it is very difficult to lift it. But now I\u2019m throwing because I have the belief in my hand,\u201d Neeraj said. The champion said he won\u2019t rest till he manages the big throws.
\u201cI still have many good throws left in me. Until I achieve that, I won\u2019t get peace. I now realise that mindset is very important going into an Olympics. I will surely do it if my body is willing to come along as my mind will be ready. If you can stay away from injury, then your throw gets bigger and bigger,\u201d the 26-year-old said. Neeraj\u2019s first throw on Thursday was a foul, but that didn\u2019t affect his confidence.
\u201cAfter the foul in the first throw, I had confidence ahead of the second throw that I could do it. I was pushing myself a lot but the throw was good and I can tell you that I still have a lot of big throws left in me. For that I have to keep myself fit.\u201d Asked what changed between the qualification when he appeared in great form and the final, the 26-year-old said: \u201cIn the qualification round it\u2019s all easy and relaxed. But finals are different. I tried to keep my mind the same but it was hard. I tried to go really fast on the runway but it didn\u2019t work.
Even in qualification I was really close to the line but I stopped within one step.\u201d The pulls and pressures of commercial commitments become part and parcel of a top athlete\u2019s life, but Neeraj has learnt to take that in his stride.
\u201cAfter Tokyo, I gave priority to sports. With great difficulty we get a chance to endorse a brand. So if you get a chance then who will leave it? But I don\u2019t want to overdo it, because if my body breaks, nothing will be left.\u201d Neeraj was tired but his sense of humour was intact. \u201cMotivating myself to talk in English is almost like being in competition with the best in the business,\u201d he said as everyone burst into laughter.<\/div>\n