Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru: 'This is beginning of a new chapter'

The stage is set for the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic which will feature top-class athletes.

Double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra will be competing in a javelin event that bears his name and believes that it is the start of something significant in Indian athletics, which now needs multiple world-class events.

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The Neeraj Chopra Classic will be held at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday (July 5).

What Chopra said

Chopra said he will try to upscale the event in the coming years.

"I feel like I'm in a dream. Medals are a different thing. But I've given something like this to India and to Indian athletes. I'm very happy about that. This is the beginning of a new chapter in our athletics," Chopra said in a pre-event press conference in Bengaluru on Friday.

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"The support I'm getting from everyone. From the government, from KOA (Karnataka Olympic Association), from World Athletics, from the sponsors… I feel like we can make this event even better."

Chopra said he wanted to make the athletics competitions in India comparable to the events which are held regularly in traditional powerhouses like the USA or European nations.

"This is the beginning of international competitions in India. As we see, there are so many international competitions in Germany and such nations – A category, B, C etc and every week, there’s a competition.

"So, this is what I want in India, as there should be at least 4, 5, 6 competitions which are world class. The athletes should get a chance and people should see them play. That will be very good for our sport," he explained.

Chopra training hard

While he is very much involved in the conduct of the event, the star athlete said he has not diverted his focus from acing an elite field and keeping his preparation on track for the upcoming World Championships.

Also read: Neeraj Chopra finally breaches 90 metres

"The athlete in me is always up (for the competition). That's why I'm trying to manage everything. My team is also handling so many things. But the athlete in me is always up. I'm training hard," he said.

"After doing everything, I train. I did throw sessions, too. So, yes. I have a mindset for that ahead of tomorrow's competition." While winning the event that has been named after him remains his immediate priority, Chopra is aware that he has a bigger challenge coming his way in the World Championships in Tokyo in September.

Preparations for World Championships

The ace Indian javelin thrower said he has his eyes firmly set on the blue riband event.

"Of course, tomorrow's competition is very important and after that we will start preparing for the World Championships. I'm very happy to be here with the coach (Jan Zelezny). Yesterday, I was training in the gym with the coach. This is the kind of competition that will be the target ahead of the World Championship," he noted.

Beyond the personal glory moment, Chopra was also excited to see a world class event taking place in India.

"I'm very happy that this is finally happening. I was at the gym yesterday and I saw other athletes throwing and that has been my dream. I will say it again that I never thought there would be an event like this.

"I never thought I would represent India and win a medal. All that has happened. Now, there's peace in my mind that something like this is happening."

Technical improvement

Regarding his quest for technical improvement, Chopra said it has been a work in progress.

"Training started a bit late (this season), but we worked on my technique, which I am able to follow well in training. There are a few things I have to improve in my training, and I am working on that," said Chopra who started working with coach Zelezny only in February.

"It's tough to work on technique, run-up, throwing it straight, and working on blocking legs — these are some details I am working on and will look to follow in competition as well." After his win in the Paris Diamond League last month, Chopra had said that he would need to work harder on his core muscles to make his body stronger and fine tune his technique to consistently log 90-plus distances in international competitions.

"I need some more control when I throw, there are things we have to change and I need some, maybe, strong core and stronger body for throwing.

"I go left quickly and it was not good. I need to throw to the front like with the chest and go up with the javelin. We are working on it," he said.

The tickets for Neeraj Chopra Classic are priced from Rs 299 onwards.