Neeraj off to Potchefstroom for pre-season training
Two-time Olympic medal-winning Indian javelin throw star Neeraj Chopra has begun his pre-season training in his preferred South African base of Potchefstroom after the Sports Ministry’s Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) approved a 32-day camp for him under new coach Jai Chaudhary. Chopra parted ways with Czech legend Jan Zelezny as his coach last week, deciding to partner with Chaudhary, who was his formative coach and trains javelin throwers in Panipat, which is the superstar’s home town.
The 28-year-old will stay in Potchefstroom, a major training base for javelin throwers from across the world, till February 5 and the total sanctioned assistance for him stands at Rs 11.80 lakh, a source in the Sports Authority of India (SAI) told PTI. Mission Olympic Cell, which decides on the financial and logistical assistance to elite athletes in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), met here on Wednesday. Chopra’s support team at the training camp also includes his long-time physiotherapist Ishaan Marwaha.
“The focused training block is aimed at sharpening his physical conditioning, strength, and technical consistency ahead of marquee events lined up this year, including the Asian Games and theCommonwealth Games,” the source said. “According to the approved proposal, the financial assistance will cover his training camp expenses, local logistics, gym and training ground access, airport transfers, and out-of-pocket allowances,” he added.
The affable Haryana-man was hampered by an adductor muscle niggle last year even though he managed to breach the long-awaited 90m mark in the Doha Diamond League. But a major disappointment for him was the eighth-place finish at the Tokyo World Championships in September last after which he decided to take a break to address his fitness issues. He was the defending champion in Tokyo but was in clear discomfort throughout the competition. Chopra is expected to begin his 2026 season at the Doha Diamond League in May.
Other proposals: A total of `1.40 crore was approved for proposals from athletes cutting across disciplines in the 167th meeting of the MOC. “This includes Sachin Yadav’s request for specialised javelin throw equipment at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium in Delhi,” the source said. Yadav had hit the headlines with a fourth place finish at the World Championships last year, outperforming Chopra in his very first outing at the showpiece.
The MOC is next expected to meet in mid-February and according to well-placed sources, a rigorous review of the existing list of core and developmental group athletes would be undertaken at this meet. “The meeting on Wednesday was held online and though a review was to be done in this one itself but we decided that a review of athletes should be done in an in-person meeting. So, that’s why the February meeting would be significant,” the source said. The number of core group athletes currently stands at 118, comprising 57 able-bodied and 61 para-athletes.
