Adille Sumariwalla, President of the Athletics Federation of India, has expressed mixed feelings about the prospects of India’s javelin throwers at the upcoming Paris Olympics. While he remains confident in Neeraj Chopra‘s ability to perform, concerns linger regarding Kishore Jena’s recent form.
In a recent interaction with Rev Sports Sumariwalla said, “There have been issues. We are confident that with everything that we are doing with the training, with the mental setup, with a mental trainer, this, that and the other, he will hopefully, at that point in time, he should deliver.” he added.
Neeraj Chopra is consistent
Sumariwalla praised Neeraj Chopra and expects a medal from the golden boy. “He is one of the most consistent javelin throwers I have seen in the world in all my 40 years of athletics. The greatest advantage with him is that he seems to have a way of not letting pressure push him down. The second thing that I have seen is that he lives in the moment.” Sumariwalla added.
More on Olympics
Double medal haul at Asian games sparked hope
India’s performance in the javelin at the 2023 Asian Games actually sparked hopes for Kishore Jena. Neeraj Chopra won the gold, but it came as a surprise that Jena won the silver in the games. Jena’s surprising medal raised hopes of a potential double podium finish at the Olympics.
Kishore Jena’s recent struggles
Jena’s recent performances have been raising concerns about his ability to peak at the right time. His eighth-place finish at the Paris Diamond League with a throw of just 78.10 metres and a bronze medal at the Inter-State Athletics Championships with a throw of 80.84 metres fall short of expectations. These results highlight a need for improvement if Jena wants to contend for a medal at the Olympics.
