Ahead of crown defence at Paris Games, Neeraj Chopra says self-belief is key

INDIA"S champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra feels athletes from his country have proved that they can compete with the European powerhouses at the top event and that the key to become successful at the upcoming Paris Games is maintaining self-belief.

The 26-year-old became the first man from Asia to win an Olympic title in javelin at the Tokyo Games 2021 and followed it up with a gold at Diamond League in Zurich and Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2022 and World Athletics Championships in Budapest in 2023.

All eyes will be on the Indian athlete when he defends his crown at the Paris Games between July 26 and August 11. He will be joined by compatriot Kishore Jena. DP Jena also has a chance of qualifying for the event.

The trio were in the finals of the tournament in Budapest last year.

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"There was a time when I wasn't even sure of qualifying for the world championships, but see how times have changed," Chopra said in an interview with Sports Authority of India (SAI) media.

"In Budapest last year, we had three Indians (out of the top six) in the finals and that's made us believe we're no less than the Europeans, who have dominated world javelin for so long.

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"We have to take this Budapest belief forward and in Paris anything is possible."

On Friday (10), Chopra begins his outdoor season in the Doha leg of the Diamond League and will also compete in India for the first time in three years at the Federation Cup in Bhubaneshwar in the state of Odisha from May 12-15.

He said he had meticulously chosen his competition schedule ahead of the Olympic Games.

"The entire scenario changes when you arrive at the Games village. The real pressure starts building up then. But I should be prepared," he added.

"After Tokyo, I found out how international athletes plan their schedule and choose their training centres so that there's minimum travel, quicker acclimatisation and proper diet leading up to a major event," Chopra said.

(With Reuters inputs)