Paris, Aug 10: Vowing to come back stronger after missing out on a second successive Olympic gold medal, India’s superstar javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra said he will be able to perform better with improvements in his throwing angle and run-up.
Entering the Paris Olympics as the defending champion, Chopra ended his campaign with a silver medal as Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem took the gold with a Games record monstrous throw of 92.97 metres.
“I’m happy with my strength, but I feel that if my throwing angle improves, I can throw better. I’m yet to see my videos. The height was falling a bit short. I need to work on my run-up, and if I stay healthy, I will throw better,” said Chopra, who has had a series of injuries in the build-up to the Olympics.
He is hoping for India to get hosting rights for the 2036 Olympics.
“It was a good Olympics for our Indian team overall. There were lots of fourth positions, and they really fought well. It would be great if the Olympics come to India in 2036,” he said.
Chopra felt people in cricket-mad India are gradually getting hooked on Olympics disciplines, and that’s a sign that things are changing.
“It’s good that people are watching our games now. They watch our games live; they wake up very early and sleep late. This is one of the signs that Indian sports have changed. If parents encourage their children to go to the stadium, then things will change even more,” he said.
After Nadeem won the gold medal in Paris, Chopra’s mother, Saroj Devi, remarked that the Pakistani athlete is “also our child”. Off the field, the duo enjoys good relations.
“My mother belongs to a village. There isn’t much mobile or media there, so whatever they say, they say it from the heart, like a mother. She was also praying for me like all other Indians. So whatever she felt in her heart, she said it,” Chopra said.
“Sports always bring the two countries together. The border issue is a different matter. We try to unite through sports. We also think about living peacefully, but that’s not in our hands,” he signed off. (PTI)
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