Athletics
Neeraj Chopra vows to defend Olympic gold at Paris 2024
Neeraj enjoyed a stellar season in 2023 as he became the first Indian athlete ever to win a World Athletics Championships gold medal in Budapest in August. He will be training abroad to prepare for the Paris Olympics.
FILE PHOTO: Neeraj Chopra flaunts the Indian tir-colour after winning the gold medal at the Asian Games in October 2023. (Photo credit: AP)
Reigning Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, on Sunday, said he will train abroad to prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"I will start my preparation for the Paris Olympics and for that, I will go abroad. I will give 100 per cent to win a medal for the country," the athlete said in Panipat, Haryana.
Neeraj enjoyed a stellar season in 2023 as he became the first Indian athlete ever to win a World Athletics Championships gold medal in Budapest in August. Neeraj's second attempt of 88.17 metres was enough for him to secure the historic gold.
He followed it up by defending his Asian Games gold medal in Hangzhou in October. Neeraj won the Asiad gold for the first time in 2018 at the Jakarta Asian Games.
At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Neeraj became the first Indian track and field athlete ever to win a gold medal at the world's biggest sporting spectacle with an 87.58m throw. In general, he was the second Indian after shooter Abhinav Bindra to win the yellow metal in the Olympics.
No other Indian track and field athlete has shown this incredible level of consistency at the highest level.
As the expectations soared for the 25-year-old ahead of next year's Paris Olympics, Neeraj sounded confident about defending the Olympic gold medal.
"I am practising well for it. I will try my best to win a medal. I will give my best at the Olympics as I know that this opportunity comes once in 4 years. I am not worried about the result, just want to prepare well and make the country proud," he added.
