'I was mentally ready but...': Neeraj Chopra on winning silver at Paris Olympics 2024
PTC News Desk: Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who fell short of retaining his gold medal at the Paris Olympics, said he couldn't push himself to his extreme. Chopra won the silver medal in the men's javelin throw, with a best throw of 89.45 meters.
At a virtual press briefing, Neeraj stated that he was mentally ready but lacked physical fitness. The 26-year-old said that his legwork throughout the final was not up to standard.
"I never believed I couldn't achieve it... Arshad Nadeem's previous best was 90.18 metres, achieved in the Commonwealth Games, while my previous best was 89.94 metres... I couldn't push myself to my limits. Mentally, I was prepared, but physically, I was retraining myself. My runway legwork did not go as planned. My efforts were in vain. My throw immediately following Nadeem's throw was good because I was quite positive...," Neeraj stated.
Neeraj also announced his next competition: the Lausanne Diamond League, which begins on August 22.
"... I have finally decided to participate in the Lausanne Diamond League, which begins August 22," he said.
Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan won gold with a throw of 92.97 meters, breaking the previous Olympic record set by Denmark's Andreas Thorkildsen in 2008. Grenada's Anderson Peters won bronze with a throw of 88.54 meters.
Chopra had previously thrown 89.34 meters in the Group B qualification round, which was his second-best all-time throw. Despite a heated competition with Nadeem, in which Chopra led 9-0 in head-to-head matches, Nadeem's throw of 90.18 meters at the 2022 Commonwealth Games surpassed Chopra's best effort.
- ANI
