Coming from Haryana, an area famed for wrestling and kabaddi, Neeraj Chopra has broken the mold to become the world's 5th ranked javelin thrower according to the IAAF. His career faced a temporary setback when an elbow injury forced him out of competition for a year. To fix this, he had arthroscopic surgery in May 2019 to clear out small bone protrusions that were causing him pain in his elbow and shoulder during his throws.
Chopra's last big win was at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, where he took home the gold with a mark of 88.06m. He sat out the 2019 National Championship on the advice of the Athletic Federation of India, who believed a period of complete rest was essential for his long-term success. As the selection process for the Tokyo Olympics (July 24 – August 9) intensified globally, Chopra traveled to Potchefstroom, South Africa, for the North East meet on January 29, 2020. With the qualifying threshold set at 85m, Chopra's previous record of 88.06m had already put him in a strong position.
As the contestants are being evaluated around the globe for the Tokyo Olympic Games, from July 24th – August 9th represented board members are to pick the best players. On January 29th, 2020 the javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra had attended the Athletic Centre North East meet at South Africa, Potchefstroom. Previously, Chopra had set a record of 88.06m at the 2018 Asian Games and the 2020 Olympic board had 85m or beyond to qualify.
At the ACNE meet in South Africa, Chopra started with throws of 81.76m and 82m. He improved this to 82.57m on his third attempt, before delivering a stunning performance with a distance of 87.86m, marking one of his best efforts. In a later interview, Chopra mentioned that by letting go of the stress associated with Olympic qualification and simply focusing on his technique and execution, he was able to achieve this impressive result.
Chopra noted that his initial warm-up throws weren't perfect, but he used those errors to make the necessary adjustments before his official attempts. He plans to use Potchefstroom as his primary training base as he prepares for the Tokyo Games. Reflecting on the competitions he missed during his injury layoff, he expressed his intention to be more active moving forward, mentioning his plans to compete in the Diamond League and the Federation Cup.
Looking back, Neeraj Chopra viewed the past year of recovery as a necessary investment in his future performance. He expressed gratitude for the support and guidance he received during his rehabilitation and stated his firm determination to bring pride to his country.