Technically, 90m-plus throw in Doha wasn't perfect; working on improvement: Chopra

Zurich, Aug 27 (PTI) Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra on Wednesday admitted that he is still not satisfied with his technique and even the 90m-plus effort in Doha Diamond League in May was not a "perfect" one in that aspect.

Chopra threw 90.23m while finishing second in his season-opening DL meet for javelin on May 16 to finally breach the coveted 90m mark, which he has been chasing for more than five years.

But, the 27-year-old two-time Olympic medallist said he is still in the learning curve as far as his technique is concerned, though he is improving by picking the brain of his coach, the legendary Jan Zelezny.

"I feel I am really fast in run-up, but I don't think I am using the speed (to send javelin farther) right now. In Doha, the 90m throw was really good, but technically I don't want to say that was perfect," Chopra said while addressing the media ahead of the Diamond League Finals here on Thursday.

"If my left leg is straight and if I use perfect block, that will be really good throw and then I will be satisfied with my speed," he added, with discus throw star Valarie Allman of USA also present.

When the moderator said Chopra might be hinting that he will throw 92m with better technique on Thursday, the Indian quipped: "You don't know in javelin, you go maybe four or five metres also." The two-time Olympic medallist Chopra is aiming to reclaim the Diamond League trophy which he had won in 2022, before finishing runner-up in both 2023 and 2024.

A thrilling contest is on the cards with Chopra facing defending champion Anderson Peters of Grenada as well as Germany's Julian Weber in the seven-man final.

Kenya's 2015 world champion Julius Yego, Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago, and Andrian Mardare of Moldova entered the field as athletes in the top-6 in the points table, while Simon Wieland of Switzerland was also added as the host country's entry.

Chopra finished second behind Weber in Doha despite breaching the 90m mark. He then won the Paris leg on June 20 with a throw of 88.16m while Weber finished second with 87.88m.

His last event was the NC Classic in Bengaluru on July 5 which he hosted and won with a throw of 86.18m.

Talking about the effect of wind on the performance of javelin throwers, Chopra said, "It depends on the thrower who knows how to use the wind. If there is tail wind, it's good. If you throw really in good line, little bit up the point, it really helps.

"But if somebody throws down, it's not going to help. Also headwind is brutal for us. Because we have to run very fast, if somebody throws a little bit up it looks really good. Doha was really helpful in that sense." With overcast conditions prevailing with chance of rain in Zurich on Thursday, Chopra said he would want to perform in every condition.

"It may not be good weather tomorrow, may be raining. But it's for everyone and we need to stay tough mentally, because in this condition it's really tough. I really like to throw well in every condition." Zelezny is at another level, learning from him ============================ Chopra began training under Zelezny in February and since then he has been working with the world record holder for improvement in his technique.

"I learned from him (Zelezny) how to stay calm under pressure and still be consistent. He threw 90m-plus more than 50 times. He was really in another level.

"He always said, I read somewhere, the technique is my (Zelezny's) biggest weapon. Technically, I'm not at his level. So I'm trying to improve my technique.

"But more than an athlete or coach, he is a really good man and he's always helping me. I tried to learn so many things about him." He said javelin throw has become a truly global sport with athletes from all corners of the world. He also talked about increasing popularity of javelin throw in India.

"I was really happy when we did that event in India and 15,000 people were there only for the javelin event. So in India, people follow javelin and lots of kids are throwing now, so it's good," he said, alluding to the NC Classic which he hosted and competed in Bengaluru on July 5.

"Initially, people didn't know what is javelin. I came from a small village and I'm here now. I'm happy that I was able to bring improvement (in athletics in India)." Asked about his instant stardom after winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, he said, "In the beginning, after Tokyo Olympics, I was very nervous, thinking how I'm going to manage the things. But if you have a good team and good people with you, you can manage things." PTI PDS AM PDS AM AM