Neeraj Chopra's Adductor Niggle Resolved, Intensifies Training for Paris Olympics

Neeraj Chopra, India's reigning Olympic javelin throw champion, is in the final stages of his preparations for the Paris Games, and his coach, Klaus Bartonietz, has dismissed concerns about his fitness.

Chopra has been troubled by an adductor niggle in recent months, but Bartonietz insists that the issue is now resolved. "Everything is according to plan. At the moment, no issue with that (adductor niggle), it's fine, it looks good, hoping to remain like that till the Olympics," Bartonietz told PTI.

The 26-year-old Chopra has had a mixed season in terms of fitness, withdrawing from the Ostrava Golden Spike in May as a precautionary measure. However, he made a strong comeback by winning gold at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland in June with a throw of 85.97m.

Chopra opted out of the Paris Diamond League on July 7, but Bartonietz said that the event was never a part of his competition calendar this year.

With just two weeks to go until the Olympic qualification round, Chopra is intensifying his training. "It's just over two weeks left in the Olympics, so the intensity of training is high. He is having full throwing sessions," Bartonietz said.

Chopra's training routine includes sprinting, jumping, throwing, and weightlifting sessions. Bartonietz said that the approach is similar to the one adopted before the Tokyo Olympics.

Chopra has competed in only three events ahead of the Paris Games, compared to five before Tokyo. Bartonietz does not see this as a disadvantage, saying that the number of competitions is not a determining factor.

"You can compete in many events or not, it's tough to say what is enough (number of events). It depends on the situation," Bartonietz said.

Bartonietz also addressed Chopra's decision to skip the Paris Diamond League, saying that there were "some minor issues" that made it not worth the risk.

While Bartonietz is confident in Chopra's abilities, he is cautious about predicting his chances of a medal. "Olympics is a high-stakes and high-pressure situation and anything can happen. Guessing a medal on the basis of statistics is difficult," he said.

Bartonietz identified Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, Julian Weber of Germany, Anderson Peters of Grenada, and Oliver Helander of Finland as potential medal contenders.

The Olympic Stadium in Paris will have purple-colored Mondo tracks, which are believed to provide faster timings. Bartonietz said that this could benefit Chopra, but it is ultimately a matter of using the speed effectively.

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