By The reigning champion of javelin in Asian Games and Olympics said that his past failures set him for this set of success. This comment will encourage other budding athletes to not give up on their dream of winning in their field. Neeraj Chopra was also the winner of Diamond League and Commonwealth Games.
Over the past three years Neeraj Chopra has made a name for himself in the world of athletics especially in javelin. He has continuously gained success in many International stages as well as nationally making him a superstar for several athletics in his field.
At 25 he won major titles in the sports field like Olympics, Asian Games titles in Javelin. Former winner in Commonwealth Games, world and Asian Championships, junior world champion and the diamond League. No wonder he has become a name that everyone recognizes in the past few years.
Neeraj admits that his success did not make him who he was but it was his failures that shaped him. During an interview with Hindustan Times, Neeraj Chopra said, “It is through defeats that I have reached this stage. In 2017 I had started competing in international events in Diamond League, so from 2017 till 2021, I kept losing. It was in the 2022 Diamond League when I first got a position on the podium. So the winning didn’t start all of a sudden.”
His fame to success started after his win at Tokyo Olympics where he won gold. But the journey towards this success started with an injury that made him miss the 2019 session. He had surgery in his right elbow and then went to South Africa to train under Klaus Bartoneitz, expert on German biomechanics for six months.
His extraordinary feat in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after his surgery that won him gold was commendable. He went on to win in the Diamond League and the world championship where he won silver in 2022.
Neeraj Chopra said, “In 2019 I couldn’t play the entire season because of an injury, then there was COVID and finally we had the Olympics in 2021. So even that level started improving through the years and so did my belief.”
Although he missed the 2022 Commonwealth Games due to injury. But he went on to become the first Indian to win gold in men’s javelin throw at Budapest 2023. In the Diamond League in 2023 he got second place and in the Hangzhou Asian Games he won the gold.
Despite all his wins he has kept himself grounded, when asked what his secrets to being humble he said failures are part and parcel of the game. Chopra concluded, “This winning run hasn’t affected me because I have seen defeats and I had accepted that.”
