Neeraj Chopra ready to start Olympic preparations in Diamond League with Kishore Jena athletics news

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra’s Paris Games preparations will be put to a tough test when he begins his season in the first leg of the prestigious Diamond League one-day meet series against a star-studded but familiar field in Doha on Friday. The 26-year-old Indian javelin superstar, who is also the reigning World and Asian Games champion, will face former world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada and Olympic and World medalist Jakub Vadlej of Czech Republic.

Asian Games silver medalist and compatriot Kishore Jena will also be in contention to make his Diamond League debut. Jena’s personal best is 87.54 metres, while Chopra’s all-time best is 89.94 metres, which is also a national record.

European champion Julian Weber of Germany, who finished fourth at the Olympic Games and World Championships, will also compete in the 10-man field. After this the league will move to Morocco on 19 May.

Chopra is also the defending champion here as he laid the foundation for his title-laden 2023 season with a win ahead of Wadledge and Peters.

Chopra was quoted as saying, “Success depends on teamwork. My coach and physio contribute a lot. The coach reviews my technique and we talk about what is the best style for me. We have There’s also an expert in strength training. Planning has been important.” A release from the Sports Authority of India said.

The Indian had sent the javelin to a distance of 88.67 metres, compared to 88.63 meters and 85.88 meters of Wadlejch and Peters respectively.

In 2022, Peters made the fifth longest throw in history (93.07 metres) at the Qatar Sports Club here.

Tokyo Olympics silver medalist and 2023 Diamond League champion Wadlejch had recorded a personal best of 90.88m here in 2022.

Chopra has won three individual stages of the Diamond League and is set to lift the champion’s trophy in 2022.

After this event, Chopra will compete on home soil for the first time in three years during the National Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships to be held in Bhubaneswar from May 12 to 15.

Jena will also participate in this program. As per the schedule, the men’s javelin throw qualifying round will be held on May 14 and the final on May 15.

Chopra last competed in a domestic event at the same Federation Cup on March 17, 2021, when she won the gold medal with a throw of 87.80 metres.

After participating in the domestic event, Chopra will compete at the prestigious Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland on June 18.

In that event, he will face Germany’s 19-year-old sensation Max Dehning, the latest entrant to the 90m club.

Her target for this season is to defend her Olympic title and break the 90m barrier. In an earlier interview with PTI, Chopra had stressed on the need to remain injury free.

In the current Paris Olympics cycle, the government has spent around Rs four crore to support Chopra’s training, equipment, coach’s salary and out-of-pocket allowances.

He credited his preparations to the training he has received at different times in various international centers in Finland, South Africa, UK and Turkey.

“After Tokyo, I learned how international athletes plan their schedules and select their training centers so that there is minimal travel, quick acclimatization and proper diet before a big event.

“These are the finer details I discuss with my coaches and once the decision is made, we contact Topps for assistance. It has worked well for us,” he said.

Chopra said that adjusting to proper diet is also a part of what has helped him get better.

Chopra said, “Yes, you have to get used to some bland food. In the beginning, it was hard when I was not getting Indian food, but I have got used to this less tasty food.” He said his diet is largely vegetarian. ,

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)