Neeraj Chopra’s World Championships silver medal caps off an incredible year.

By that standard, Neeraj Chopra has refueled his ambition rather quickly. Chopra is expected to break new ground for Indian athletics every time he lines up on the runway with a javelin in hand. Being constantly scrutinized can be stressful. 
But Chopra, in his first full season since the high of the Olympics in Tokyo, never appeared to be carrying the cross of an Olympic champion. It actually improved his performance.
Chopra set his sights on World Championships and the Diamond League this year after conquering Tokyo, and he went all out to achieve them. His silver medal at the World Championships in Eugene, as well as his Diamond League title, were significant achievements for Indian athletes.
Chopra had a lot riding on his performance at the Worlds. Since long jump Anju Bobby George’s bronze medal in 2003, no Indian athlete had won a medal at track and field’s premier event. Chopra was widely expected to break that record and end her 19-year medal drought.
Chopra began his season late in June, giving himself plenty of time to recover and re-energize after Tokyo. In his first meet back in Finland, he set a new national record of 89.30m, breaking his previous record of 88.07m set in March 2021. He reached 89.94m in the Diamond League meet in Stockholm in just over 15 days, demonstrating incredible consistency. He was throwing his javelin. There was hunger and a renewed sense of purpose, and Chopra was getting closer to the 90m mark with each throw.
That set him up nicely for gold at the Eugene championships, along with another strong favorite, Anderson Peters, who had a season-opening 93.07m to move into fifth place on the all-time list.
Eugene, on the other hand, presented the throwers with a new challenge. The windy conditions made it difficult to control the spear. Chopra, known for lighting up the field with big early throws, appeared frustrated as his javelin gained more height than distance.
He trailed in his first three attempts, but then came the big moment in his fourth. Chopra performed admirably under duress, roaring back into silver medal contention with an 88.13m heave. He screamed as he raised his fist. Even though he had two more throws, Peters was difficult to catch. To retain his title, the world champion blitzed the field with three 90-plus throws.
Chopra’s world championship medal rounds out an impressive resume that includes a gold medal in the junior world championships in 2016, as well as gold medals at the Asian Games and the CWG. Chopra fouled the first throw in the Diamond League final, but quickly found his range and won the titles with 88.44m. Chopra has pursued his goals with quiet confidence and boundless energy at every meet this year. His training necessitated meticulous planning and execution. He has consistently surpassed 88m. His average throw distance was 88.57m.
I am very pleased with my consistency this season, Chopra said of this year. I think I handled the season well, despite its ups and downs u2014 there was also a groin strain.
Chopra was forced to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games, where he would have faced Peters again.
Having the same team of support staff around him has aided Chopra. Every training session, Chopra is accompanied by high performance coach Klaus Bartonietz and physiotherapist Ishaan Marwaha.
New challenges
Chopra is already in the midst of his off-season training at the United Kingdom’s Loughborough University as the new season approaches.
Winning the world championship would be his top priority this year, with the Asian Games, which had been postponed, also likely to take place. There will also be an exciting rivalry developing. Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan, a surprise CWG medalist who threw the spear to 90.18m in Birmingham, will return after elbow surgery. There will be Peters, who broke the 90m barrier this year, and Johannes Vetter, who missed last season due to a shoulder injury.
What Chopra excels at is adapting to different environments, as he demonstrated in humid Tokyo and windy Eugene. I’d rather win a competition than sprint 90 meters. Because of the conditions, 85m is sometimes enough to win He stated.