Neeraj Chopra to compete in India for first time since Tokyo Olympics gold

Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will compete at home for the first time in three years, after confirming his participation in the National Federation Cup, which will be held in Bhubaneswar from May 12 to 15. The 26-year-old superstar is expected to go to India from Doha, where he began his season with the first leg of the lucrative Diamond League series on May 10. Neeraj will compete in the 27th National Federation Cup athletics competitions in Odisha, which will take place from May 12 to May 15 at Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Stadium. This will be Chopra’s first domestic competition since the 2021 Federation Cup.

“As per entries @Neeraj_chopra1 and Kishore Kumar Jena will compete in domestic competition starting May 12 in Bhubaneshwar,” the Athletics Federation of India tweeted. “I want to be in best possible shape before Paris Olympics. My training sessions have gone off really well so far. I always lay stress on fitness along with strength and technique. This is the best I have felt in a long time but I must add that training and competition are not the same. When you wear the India jersey, the feeling is different, the josh (energy) is unbelievable,” Neeraj had said to SAI Media.

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When asked about the elusive 90-meter milestone, the 26-year-old Neeraj reiterated that ‘distance doesn’t matter to him.

“What matters to me is staying 100 per cent fit, being consistent during the season and delivering on the day that matters. I think there are mistakes to fix and looking at the increasing competition all around, one has to keep improving. The road will close if you think you have done it all,” he said.

Talking about how his performance in Tokyo indicated that his preparation for global tournaments was going in the right direction, Neeraj said, “I have won medals in two World Championships, threw my personal best (89.94 metres at Stockholm), won a dream Diamond League title and even defended my gold at the Asian Games. All in all, I have been in great space and want to carry forward that momentum from May onwards.”