'90 Meter Is My Dream': Golden Boy Neeraj Chopra On His Aim After Tokyo Olympics

Tokyo2020: Neeraj Chopra addressed the media after the Javelin Throw gold medal. Watch this space for all updates from the presser.

Image Courtesy: AFP

India's overnight sensation Neeraj Chopra was speaking at a press conference in Delhi on Tuesday. The gold medalist, along with other athletes returned to India on Monday. Sports Authority of India and the government gave a sounding welcome to all the medalists.

In the presser, Neeraj expressed confidence in his abilities and said that "90 meters is my dream, and I will achieve it!" At Tokyo Olympics, Neeraj Chopra went up to 87 meters but couldn't go past the 90-meter mark that was his dream. 

Just before the start of the press conference, a video of Chopra's was shown when he was being presented the gold. Everyone, including Neeraj, stood up when the anthem was being played. That's how the presser began. 

Anju Bobby George and Kamalpreet Kaur were also present with Neeraj Chopra at the press conference. Kamalpreet, like Neeraj, represented India in athletics. She finished 6th in the discus throw. Neeraj's coach was also sitting alongside him at the press conference. 

The Javelin Throw Olympic Champion is also the national record holder of India. During the Olympics final, Chopra's first throw went for 87.03 meters, second for 87.58 meters while the third throw was 79.79 meters. His second throw of 87.58 meters was enough for India to secure a gold medal in Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Neeraj won the gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games by throwing an 86.47m javelin. Neeraj started his season with a new national record of 88.06 m in March 2021 this year before the Tokyo Olympics.  

What did Neeraj say during his press conference? 

Neeraj spoke about the "difficult" Covid-19 times. He appreciated the amount of effort that people and his coaches put into his training. Then, he went on to answer the questions from journalists. 

"Didn't understand what to do when I threw my last throw. During that time, my gold medal was confirmed so I didn't know how to feel, but I threw it well and it almost went 84 meters that were better than the previous three throws," Neeraj said when asked about his feeling before throwing the last Javelin. 

When asked about PM's comments he said: "Feels good when a county's PM supports its athletes. He not only call me but also the hockey team and others."

"Mental Fitness is as important as Physical fitness in sports," Neeraj added. 

Neeraj also expressed his thoughts on Covid-19 and the changing scenario of sports. He said, "There were many athletes who missed 

The 23-year old athlete was scheduled to hold this press conference at 10 am on Tuesday. On winning the medal, in his first reaction, Neeraj said, "The time I went to the stadium, sports was never part of the plan, neither was playing for country & winning a medal. No one in my family or in my village is into sports. Later, I worked really hard & got great support from everyone," to ANI. 

Neeraj was welcomed with immense pride and happiness in Delhi. He was present at the Ashoka Hotel in Delhi with other athletes on Monday.