India’s legendary para-athlete, Devendra Jhajharia, believes that it’s only a matter of time before star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra surpasses the unattainable 90m mark. Jhajharia predicts that Chopra could achieve a throw of 93m within the next one or two years.
Earlier this month, Chopra won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics with a throw of 89.45m. The gold went to Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who set an Olympic record with a throw of 92.97m. On Thursday, Chopra finished second in the Lausanne Diamond League, with a final-round throw of 89.49m, behind two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, who made a massive throw of 90.61m.
Chopra’s potential to push limits
Jhajharia, a double Paralympic gold medallist in the F46 category, believes that once Chopra breaks the 90m barrier, he will do so significantly, surpassing it by 3 to 4 metres. “In javelin throw, 89-plus has become a barrier for Neeraj currently. From my 20 years of experience, I’ve seen that when a barrier is broken, it’s not just by a metre or so but by 3 to 4 metres,” Jhajharia, 43, told PTI.
A promising future for Neeraj Chopra
“When Neeraj breaks that barrier, he won’t just throw 90-plus; his javelin will go 3-4 metres farther. Remember my words,” Jhajharia added. “Neeraj will throw between 92m to 93m once the barrier is broken. He should achieve this within one or two years,” stated Jhajharia, who was elected as the president of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) in March.
Chopra’s Peak is yet to come
Jhajharia believes that Chopra’s peak form will emerge in the next two years. “Age is on his side; 26 is no age. I am confident he will be at his best when he’s 28 or 29,” he said. “Neeraj is highly disciplined and dedicated. I saw this firsthand when we trained together in Finland in 2022.”
