My focus is just on technique I've trained for: Neeraj

Glasgow, July 26 -- Neeraj Chopra has come to Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games, fully aware the nation again expects a gold medal from him. From training to pressure and how he has handled it all over the last eight years, the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist opened up on a range of topics.

Question: Neeraj, you won a Commonwealth Games gold in Gold Coast in 2018. You were a young emerging athlete at that time. Now you are a superstar, what memories do you have?

Neeraj Chopra: Yes, I have great memories from Gold Coast. It was my first senior competition and winning gold was special. That was 2018, almost eight years ago. Now I am back. Whenever I represent my country, it is a great feeling. I am happy to be back on the ground. I feel good and have been working on a few things for a while now.

Question: The nature of the competition has changed a lot in the last eight years. You've won gold and silver at the last two Olympics, but the competition in Asia has got tougher. Your thoughts.'

Neeraj Chopra: Tough competition pushes us athletes to do better. There's strong competition in Asia, especially South Asia. Everyone will push themselves.

Question: In Indian athletics if we look at track and field, so many records have been broken in the last year. What do you think is driving these revolutionary changes?

Neeraj Chopra: Honestly, there's a lot of support from the private sector now, and the federation (AFI) is very proactive. Athletes are getting international exposure.

But the biggest factor is that our athletes are fearless now.

Earlier, there was hesitation and doubt when competing against foreign athletes, but now there's confidence, hard work, and self-belief. That's why records are broken.

Question: The weather here in Glasgow is cold. Will the weather and wind conditions be a challenge?

Neeraj Chopra: Yes, yesterday during my training throws, the wind conditions were tough. But it's the same for everyone.

No matter how tough the conditions are, you have to stay mentally strong and think about doing your best in the worst conditions.

Question: Are you targeting a specific mark or opponent? What's your mindset at present?

Neeraj Chopra: My focus is just on technique I've trained for. I don't keep a specific distance target in mind.

The goal is to give 100% on that day so there are no regrets later. Conditions like weather or wind will vary, but I'll give my best performance.

Question: You've won gold before in the Commonwealth Games? How important is this event for you today?

Neeraj Chopra: Representing my country is always important to me. If I'm competing for India, I will give my 100%. That's always my goal, and it's the same for our other athletes too.

Question: How is your fitness right now?

Neeraj Chopra: It's good now. After the World Championships, last year, I worked on my weak areas and fitness. I'm feeling much better than before.

Question: After the Commonwealth Games, there's a short gap before the Asian Games. How do you feel about this schedule?

Neeraj Chopra: Usually, our off-season starts around September or October, and competitions resume in April or May.

But this time, after the Commonwealth Games, there's a packed schedule with the Diamond League, World Championships, and Asian Games.

The goal is to stay consistent and maintain good form throughout.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.