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The Hindu
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Sports has to be a lifestyle, not just a result-oriented model: Sajan Prakash
From contemplating quitting the sport to making a comeback to revive his career, 31-year-old Olympian swimmer Sajan Prakash, a multiple South Asian Games and National Games gold medallist, is planning to pace up slowly and steadily in the run-up to the Asian championships in October and the Asian Games next year. Competing in the 78th National aquatics championships at the Kalinga Stadium Aquatic Centre here, Sajan spoke to The Hindu about his struggles, his future and the overall state of swimming in India. Excerpts: How has your form been of late and what are the championships you are looking at in the next six months? After the Olympic qualification, I took a six-month break. I was just deciding whether to swim any more. I barely trained for a month and had a lot of travel before the National Games. I made some kind of progress in the National Games without training. I decided just to continue and trained at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) in Vijayanagar. I started training in February. I went for the Mare Nostrum Tour (Barcelona) in May. And then I made good progress and prepared for this competition. I am going to the World Police Games, which is right after the Nationals. And then the World championships in Singapore and the Asian championships in Ahmedabad this year (are there). So that's what I am focusing on. Are you not thinking about 2026 (which has the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games)? 2026 is the ultimate target, (a) long-term (one). Three competitions are lined up after this. The Asian championships is the main one in Gujarat. So, I will focus on that. That will be giving me an idea of how close I am to a medal in the Asian Games next year. What will be the key events for you in the Asian Games? 200m butterfly is the main event (for me). I have been swimming 200m butterfly since 2012. In 2016, I went to the Olympics in 200m butterfly. In 2024, I tried to qualify in the 200m butterfly. What are your targets and how do you approach it? I want to get back to my best time – 1:56.38. If I get that time or closer to that, I might win a medal in the Asian championships. And from there, I need to work very specifically on the details where I am lacking. I just don't want to do too many general things any more. So, 1:56 is my target for now at the Asian championships. In the Asian Games, I have to swim 1:55 to get a medal. Why are you just looking at events in the short-term, like three months, six months, instead of looking forward to a year or two? I have been swimming for a long time but that's okay. I don't see it as the end of my career. I just want to give my best every time I go there. It's a process, so I will just enjoy the process for now. The Asian Games is the last I kept for. But let's see if I can go till there or beyond that. What are the challenges when you have been swimming for so long? One is the injury (especially when) we don't have a long-term athlete development programme here. Right now the Federation (Swimming Federation of India) is building one. We somehow survived. We swam for the job first and then to make our life better. Ultimately, we made it to the Olympics and then started to progress and proceeded professionally. I don't want to give so many answers to myself because it adds pressure. I will just enjoy the process for now and see where it takes me. Among the challenges, one is the injury. Another one is the support from anybody (sponsor). We really need to ask for money from different people to fund our training and competitions. That's a huge challenge. I was training in Dubai and I paid a lot in the last four years. Go Sports was one support, but now IIS is taking care of it. Wherever we want to go for a training camp, we stay there at the centre and train. So that's a big support for now. For a layman, swimming may look like an inexpensive sport, but actually it is not so. So how do you address the issue? The development of the sport is not there. For everyone, it's an expensive sport. Buying a swimsuit, having so much daily expenses for the nutrition, for the swimming club or the day to day activities, supplements or whatsoever, it is very expensive. I survived through it. When I started professionally, I didn't have enough money. My mother supported me. And then slowly when I started performing somewhere or the other, I got funds. All the cash awards which I got from Kerala for the National Games (performances) mainly supported my swimming. You are a National Games hero... The National Games money helped a lot for training days. I wish more corporates come into swimming and look at its development. Because it's a huge sport where the potential for medals is so much. Nobody looks at it. There should be some coaches' development programmes, which we are doing. But if we need to match the world standards, we need to do three times more. We are going to host the Asian championships for the first time. How do you look at it? And how is it going to help Indian swimmers? Any competition coming home is an added advantage for us. People, federation or the Government take it a little more seriously. From that period, I think, the seriousness needs to carry on till the major games. We need to have a long-term plan, we need to have a national centre. I believe they are doing it. We need to all train together and work consistently. We need to address all that and put everyone in one centre and train. You said you thought of quitting sometime back. Why was it? One was injury. And I was also unable to support my swimming. It costs me a lot when I want to go train somewhere outside. And funding is a huge problem. After a certain point or age, you don't get so much support from the Government also. We are not included in any scheme in Khelo India or anything. Or Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). So it is a challenge for us. We survive somehow, that's all. What about the talent in India? The talent is there, but it is about who nurtures it and how we nurture it. We need more specificity and individualisation on what we are swimming, how we are swimming, monitor the training plans, and see the progress. We need to address their weaknesses individually because everybody has their strengths and weaknesses. So we need to address what is negative and make them positive. Those things come from having a professional on the board. Those things will bring about a change. What about coaching? Do you think there are enough good coaches? Our coaches work really hard. But we need to be updated on the current scientific support. It is not rocket science. We can't take challenges from the USA and address them in India. We need to address the problem which is here. That's why I said we need to have a National training centre. We must consistently train at one place so that we can have a track record of what is and what is not happening. Nutrition has to change here. Because we are a carb-eating nation and we cannot keep doing this. If we need to change something, we need to really change everything. The mindset has to change. People are not very realistic with sports. Even parents look at it as a business — invest in something. If I train for one month, what am I getting from that? Sports has to be a lifestyle. Not just a result-oriented model.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Neeraj Chopra finishes first at Ostrava Golden Spike 2025
Neeraj Chopra won the men's javelin throw event at the 64th Ostrava Golden Spike, a World Athletics Continental Tour (Gold Level) event, on Tuesday. Reigning world champion Neeraj finished first courtesy his third-round effort of 85.29m. South Africa's Douw Smit came second with 84.12m while Grenada's Anderson Peters stood third with 83.63m. It was the third victory of the season for the 27-year-old Neeraj. THERE IT IS! 🔥 Neeraj Chopra answers back with a brilliant 85.29m throw to get the lead. 💪 He moves to the first spot. 🔝✅ 🎥VC: Ostrava Golden Spike#Ostrava#CraftingVictories 🇮🇳 — Inspire Institute of Sport (@IIS_Vijayanagar) June 24, 2025 The Indian, a two-time Olympic medallist, began the competition with a foul throw. He followed it up with an effort of 83.45m before unleashing the throw which helped him take the lead. His fourth, fifth and sixth throws were 82.17m, 81.01m and foul, respectively. Neeraj's season started with an invitational meet in Potchefstroom, South Africa, where he won with a throw of 84.52m. At his Diamond League opener in Doha, he broke the 90m mark for the first time with a throw of 90.23m, bettering his previous best of 89.94m. Despite the milestone, Neeraj finished second to Germany's Julian Weber, who threw a world-leading 91.06m — also his first 90m+ throw. After Doha, Neeraj competed at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Chorzow, Poland, where he (84.14m) again finished second to Weber (86.12m). Neeraj finally beat Weber at the Paris Diamond League on Friday as the Indian topped the field with his opening throw of 88.16m. Neeraj's next event will be the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic which will take place at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on July 5. Billed as India's first-ever international javelin competition, the event is a collaboration between Neeraj Chopra, JSW Sports, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), and World Athletics (WA). It will be the highest-tier international athletics meet ever held in India.
India Today
21-06-2025
- Sport
- India Today
More 90m throws coming, but Paris DL winner Neeraj Chopra proud of consistency
Olympic medal-winning Indian javelin superstar Neeraj Chopra expressed pride in his consistency after clinching his first Diamond League title in two years, edging past German rival Julian Weber in a high-quality 27-year-old secured victory on Friday night with an impressive first-round throw of 88.16m, in a star-studded line-up that included five members of the elite 90m second throw registered 85.10m, followed by three consecutive fouls, before closing with 82.89m on his final attempt. Weber finished second with his opening effort of 87.88m, while Brazil's Luiz Mauricio da Silva claimed third with a third-round throw of "Today I was really happy with the start because I had a really good run-up technique, and everything was perfect. However, I felt that my body was going too much to the left today. I was trying to go with the javelin with my chest, so my technique was not so good today. My run-up technique was perfect, and the first throw was really good to start with. I am very happy with 88 metres today and a win after such a long time in a Wanda Diamond League," the Haryana lad, who has a gold and silver in back-to-back Olympics, told the had last won a Diamond League title in Lausanne in June 2023 with a throw of 87.66m. Since then, he had finished runner-up in six DL meetings. BOOM Neeraj Chopra with a 88.16m throw in his first attempt!Big statement here at the Paris Diamond League from the champion himself in just his first Wanda DL#ParisDL #NeerajChopra #CraftingVictories Inspire Institute of Sport (@IIS_Vijayanagar) June 20, 2025advertisementThis marked his maiden victory in the Paris leg of the prestigious series. His only previous appearance in the French capital came in 2017, when, as the reigning junior world champion, he placed fifth with 84.67m."Also, when I started my Wanda Diamond League career, I started here in Paris, so it is my second time here after my debut in 2017. After seven or eight years, I am happy with the win here. For me consistency is the biggest key. Yet, sometimes when you are competing in events like World Championships, the Olympics or some other big events, you need to be able to win in tough conditions, and under pressure. I am very happy to win here amongst so many great athletes. The guys throw really far and I am happy with my consistency, and I am hoping to be able to throw 90 metres in more competitions."Chopra had surpassed the 90m barrier earlier in the season at the Doha leg of the Diamond League on 16 May, recording a throw of 90.23m to finish second. Weber had claimed the title there with a final-round effort of 91.06m."Having Jan Zelezny around me makes me feel great about myself. When I am around him or when he coaches me, I feel very good. There is some positive energy about him, and everybody knows he was a great athlete who threw over 90 metres. Unlike other coaches who told me to take long steps when I start the crossing over, he said I can take shorter steps, but I have to do it in good speed. This is really good what I am already doing, but I need to focus on my technique when I throw," he 31-year-old Weber had also got the better of Chopra at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland on 23 May, where both athletes struggled in chilly, overcast conditions. Weber managed 86.12m while Chopra had to settle for second with two-time Olympic medallist had kicked off his 2025 season with a title at an invitational meet in Potchefstroom, South Africa - a minor, Category F event - where he recorded a throw of 84.52m. You May Also Like
Indian Express
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Neeraj Chopra wins Paris Diamond League: One big early throw does the trick as Neeraj wins first DL meet of the season
At some point this year, or maybe at a really big event in the future, Neeraj Chopra will leave an event both satisfied with the measure his javelin travelled in its parabola *and* the fact that it was sufficient for him to win the said event on the day. For now, he'd have to wait for that. In Doha earlier this year, he crossed 90m for the first time in his career, but called it bittersweet because he was pipped at the finish line by Germany's Julian Weber. On Friday night in Paris, his first throw of 88.16m was enough to beat the field, including a consistent but below-par Weber. But afterward, he was analysing his technique with a tinge of disappointment, not completely satisfied with the speed of his runup and the control of his throwing motion. When it all comes together, it is bound to be glorious ,but as such, it was another fruitful international outing for India's foremost track and field athlete as he clinched his first Diamond League meet win of the season. At a packed Stade Charléty, not far from Stade de France where he won silver in Paris last year and later spoke about the desire to find those big throws consistently, Neeraj's first throw perhaps indicated he was in the groove. The arms went up, like they usually do after he knows he has made a good throw, but not for long. An 88+ is no mean feat on any given day, but Neeraj is now targeting 90m+ consistently so perhaps he tempered his own expectations quickly. He'd not get close to it for the rest of the event, uncharacteristically fouling three of his six attempts. Weber, meanwhile, registered 81m+ with all his six throws but even his best mark came with the first attempt of the event at 87.88m. BOOM 💥 Neeraj Chopra with a 88.16m throw in his first attempt! Big statement here at the Paris Diamond League from the champion himself in just his first throw.🔥 📺VC: Wanda DL#ParisDL #NeerajChopra #CraftingVictories 🇮🇳 — Inspire Institute of Sport (@IIS_Vijayanagar) June 20, 2025 'I'm happy with the throw. It was my first throw and it was a good start but I was hoping for really good throws today,' Neeraj would say in the mixed zone later. 'My run-up was really fast today. I can't control my speed, but I'm happy with the result and with first position.' Neeraj elaborated that the problem he faced was at the time of release where he felt he was falling over to the left. 'It is a matter of timing because I feel really good (with the) run-up, but the timing was not so good when I throw. I went quickly left and it was not good. I need to throw to the front, like with the chest and go up with the javelin, and but I go too much left. We are working on it,' he said, gesturing to the chesty release he'd like to execute. #ParisDL Neeraj Chopra: Happy with the throw, it was a good start, but I was hoping for a really good throw today. ⁰My runup was really fast today & I can't control my speed. But I'm happy with the result and with first position. Need some more control when I throw. — Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) June 20, 2025 'I need some more control when I throw, like on the attack. Still, there are so many things we have to change and I need some maybe strong core and some more strong body for throwing,' he added with a chuckle. The surprise package of the night was Brazil's Luiz Mauricio da Silva, who broke his own South American record once more with a monster 86.62m throw that came off his third attempt. But the rest of the field struggled to get past 82m, with two-time world champion Anderson Peters continuing to have a lukewarm start to the season with a best throw of 80.29m and finishing fifth below Keshorn Walcott. Neeraj insisted that there is work to be done ahead of his main target of the year – the World Championships in Tokyo. 'I will compete in Ostrava after four days on 24 June, so I need some quick recovery. I am very excited for the NC Classic (July 5 in Bengaluru), I feel it's really something that I did for my country. Rest of the season, I'm hoping for some more 90m throws because I broke that barrier in Doha, so now I believe I can do some farther throws. But let's see, it all depends on weather conditions, how the body feels, and all that. The main target is the Tokyo World Championships.'
NDTV
21-05-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
"Matter Of Time...": Bio-Mechanics Expert Reveals Secret Behind Success Of Neeraj Chopra
It was only a matter of time before Neeraj Chopra broke through the elusive 90m barrier, according to his former coach Klaus Bartonietz, who described the double Olympic medallist as a highly attentive and creative athlete constantly seeking to refine and improve his craft. Chopra opened his season in stunning fashion as he sent his spear to 90.23m in the Diamond League in Doha last week to finally enter the elusive 90m club. "It was just a matter of time (that he would breach the 90m mark)," Bartonietz told PTI when asked about his former ward's latest achievement. Chopra and Bartonietz, a German bio-mechanics expert, shared a highly fruitful five-year partnership during which the Indian javelin star collected a host of accolades, including a historic Olympic gold at Tokyo and a silver at the Paris Games last year. "Neeraj is a very responsive athlete, very attentive, and trustful. That trust places a responsibility on you as a coach to always be at your best," Bartonietz said. "But on the other side, he brings a lot of own mental effort into training. He is very creative towards his training in terms of looking for new exercises, looking for making the exercises more efficient, specifically for the javelin." Rather than functioning mechanically, Chopra approaches training with curiosity and initiative. "He understands very well what the event requires. What we (coaches) want is a creative-thinking athlete, not one that just asks 'coach what we have to do today' and just walk into (training) like it's a factory, just mechanistic working." Apart from the Olympic medals, under Bartonietz, Chopra also became a World and Diamond League champion, besides becoming an Asian Games gold medallist. The two amicably parted ways last year, with the septuagenarian stepping back to spend more time with his family. Bartonietz has since joined the Inspire Institute of Sport as a consultant and is currently conducting a five-day javelin workshop at their Hisar campus, set to conclude on Thursday. At the Diamond League opener, Chopra led the field until Germany's Julian Weber unleashed a 91.06m throw in his final attempt, edging the Indian into second place. And despite breaching 90m, Chopra later described his second-place finish as bittersweet. It was the 27-year-old's fourth runners-up finish in a big-ticket event. "There is no need to motivate Neeraj, he just knows that it is a sport, event. The throw (better than his) can come at any time, you have to be prepared to counter it. "But in Neeraj's case, no. He knows. He doesn't require motivation. He comes in with this mindset," he added.
