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Neeraj Chopra explains how India can rise in sports, Olympic javelin champion cites USA’s example for improvement
Neeraj Chopra is India's only second individual gold medallist at the Olympics after shooter Abhinav Bindra. He won a javelin gold in Tokyo before adding a silver in Paris.
Balancing sports and education is a huge task in India. While a few manage to excel at both, a big percentage of individuals are forced to sacrifice one for the other. In an interview with Lallantop on Sunday, Olympic champion javelin ace Neeraj Chopra opined that it is possible to balance both effectively with proper management.
In a country of more than 1.4 billion, doing well in studies and making a stable career is seen as more lucrative than chasing a career in sports. There are reasons for this, as one needs to enter a proper ecosystem to excel, along with dedication and hard work, to make a name for themselves in any sport.
“If you talk about studies and sports, I feel both can be managed equally,” Neeraj Chopra told Lallantop. "The biggest examples are the athletes from the United States of America.
“At the Olympics, the USA team comprises mostly student athletes from universities and win more medals than others. I think in India, the schools and universities should adopt the same and once integrated, India will see a big rise in sports,” added the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist.
He said, “Cricketers are worshipped like Gods by Indians. But as far as non-cricket sports are concerned, India still lags behind by a big margin as compared to other Asian or European countries. Having said that, things have changed for better in the past decade.”
From a collective 13 Olympic medals from 2000 to 2016, India have come a long way in securing 13 medals (7 in Tokyo 2020 and 6 in Paris 2024). The numbers in Paris could have been higher had India not endured six fourth-place finishes.
Why is sports important?
According to Chopra, sports is not only about winning medals at the Olympics; it's much more than that. “Playing sports doesn't only mean, ‘Go and win medals at the Olympics."
The Haryana lad, who bagged a silver in the Paris Olympics last year, said, “Things have changed in our country now. Even COVID also taught us that we need to play sports to keep ourselves physically fit, boost our immune system."
After ending his long-time association with Dr Klaus Bartonietz, Chopra has appointed javelin throw legend Jan Zelezny as his new coach. A three-time Olympic and a world champion, Zelezny is also the world record holder with a throw of 98.48m.
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Business NewsSportsSports NewsNeeraj Chopra explains how India can rise in sports, Olympic javelin champion cites USA’s example for improvement
First Published:6 Jan 2025, 11:22 AM IST
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