India’s superstar Neeraj Chopra is entering a new phase of his career. For the first time since his rise to global stardom, Chopra is working under a new coach: javelin legend and world record holder Jan Zelezny.
The switch comes after Chopra parted ways with longtime coach Dr Klaus Bartonietz, the German biomechanical expert who helped him to Olympic gold in Tokyo, silver in Paris, and a pair of World Championship medals. For the new season, Chopra has been preparing under the guidance of the man he idolised growing up — and the athlete who still holds the javelin world record at 98.48m.
Speaking ahead of today’s Doha Diamond League meet, Chopra acknowledged the transition wasn’t easy at first — but said it’s already bearing fruit. “I feel really good. My last throwing session in training was really great and I’m ready,” he said. “It was hard in the beginning (working with Zelezny) because it was a new experience for me, but I really like it and I’m doing some great sessions. We’ve changed some little things in my technique and everything is going well. He’s also helped me with other things, such as to compete with a strong mindset.”
Chopra, who has a career best of 89.94m, is hoping to cross the 90m barrier for the first time in his career — and believes Zelezny’s training style is helping him get closer to that goal.
“It was a new experience for me. In the beginning it was hard, but after two weeks I really liked it and I did some great sessions and everything is going very well. We changed some little things in technique and I feel good. Also I had some problem always in my groin and this time, I have never missed any session, so I feel very confident about it,” he said.
Unlike the training methods he was used to under Bartonietz — where throwing and gym sessions were spaced out — Zelezny’s regime is more intense. “I used to do throwing sessions on a day and then do gym work another day. But under Zelezny, I have to do throwing sessions in the morning and then hit the gym for lifting in the afternoons,” Chopra explained.
Before diving into the technical shift, Chopra took a moment to pay tribute to Bartonietz and their successful partnership. “First of all, it was great to work with Klaus (Bartonietz). I worked with him for almost four-five years. I won the Olympics and World Championship with him. I actually wanted to work more with him, but you know he’s a 76-year-old man and he wanted to spend more time with his family, so I supported that. I gave him one more chance to take back his decision, but I understand that as a coach, he was giving 60 to 70 percent of his time to sport,” he said.
The Indian star has a strong connection with Doha, where the large expat community turns up in numbers to support him. “I like to compete in Doha. So many javelin throwers throw their PBs here, and because of the Indian community, so many people come to the stadium and support me,” he said.
Standing between Chopra and another Doha title are some of the world’s best — including Czech rival Jakub Vadlejch, who narrowly beat him here last year, as well as Olympic bronze medallist Anderson Peters, Julian Weber, Keshorn Walcott and Julius Yego.
Neeraj Chopra
