After breaking a national record, Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has a new target in mind, which is to throw over 90m.
Neeraj warmed the hearts of Indian athletics fans with a national record throw of 88.08m on his return to the competitive fray after more than a year in the Indian Grand Prix III at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports here on Friday. His best throw was a centimetre better than the record he set in the Asian Games in Jakarta on August 27, 2018.
Each of his four legal throws were better than the 81.63m that Shivpal Singh managed with his fifth attempt on a day when the wind added to the challenge of the throwers.
"I want to throw over 90," Neeraj said when asked if he has a target set for himself during a virtual press conference.
Neeraj also expressed elation over breaking the national record. "It's a good feeling to break a national record," he said. The athlete also said: "It's is always good to improve and I am happy with the achievement. I had a good release in that throw."
Owing to injuries and coronavirus pandemic, Neeraj did not compete for a long time. Therefore, the athlete is also delighted over making a return.
Talking about the difficulties he faced during the coronavirus-enforced lockdown, Neeraj said: "It was difficult when there was a lockdown. However, things started to get a bit normal after the lockdown was lifted."
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) Adille Sumariwalla also attended the virtual conference and said it is important to have good bench strength. He said having a group of good athletes is beneficial for the players as they help each other improve as well as push each other to do even better.
( With inputs from ANI )
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