The 24-year-old Chopra, who is considered a harbinger of the phenomenal success of Indian athletics in recent years, has returned from injury to become the first player from the country to win a Diamond League meet title. Victory Lausanne leg on Friday.
“I would be very happy to see more Indian athletes participating in these competitions and I would be happy to participate on such a platform along with my fellow Indian athletes,” Chopra said after his historic feat.
Avinash Sable and Sreeshankar also took part in Diamond League this year, so slowly our country is reaching this level and if we do better here then it will help Indian athletics to perform well at the bigger level.
Recently, long jumper Murali Sreeshankar and 3000m steeplechaser Avinash Sable competed in the Diamond League, although they did not finish in the top three. Sreeshankar had finished sixth in Monaco earlier this month while Sable finished fifth in Rabat, Morocco in June.
“This win is very important for our country. I think we should not just focus on events that happen after four or two years. Competitions like the Diamond League Meet or the Continental Tour are really good opportunities for athletes.
Chopra said, “It happens every year, and it gives us an opportunity to perform well. It really helps to prepare well for major tournaments because world-class athletes take part here. Do well in these tournaments. Doing so will also help Indian athletics.” The title was the third best effort of his career with a first round throw of 89.08m.
His second throw measured 85.18 m before a pass, foul, second pass and 80.04 m in the final round. He deposited an amount of 10,000 US dollars for the victory.
“I don’t want to focus only on Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Championships because winning the Diamond League trophy is also a big achievement for an athlete,” he said.
Before Chopra, discus thrower Vikas Gowda is the only Indian to finish in the top three at the Diamond League meet. Gowda had finished twice in 2012 in New York and second in Doha in 2014 and Shanghai and Eugene on two occasions in 2015.
Chopra had pulled out of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games last month due to a minor back injury while winning a silver medal at the World Championships. But it looked like the injury was not there at all as he continued his vintage form.
He said he thought his season was over due to injury but made a quick recovery after a month of rehabilitation in Germany.
“I had to skip the Commonwealth Games Because of a groin injury, and I thought I had to finish the season. But there was not much pain, so I was confident that I would be fine before the tournament.
“I made some good throws in training and was feeling good, so we decided to compete here. I did my rehab in Germany with my coach… It was really good. I had very limited preparation time. There was time but proper rehabilitation plan helped me recover quickly,” said the athlete from Khandara near Panipat.
Chopra qualified for the Diamond League final in Zurich on 8 September, becoming the first Indian to do so. Despite the win, they remain fourth on Friday with 15 points from eight points. The top six after the Lausanne leg qualified for the Zurich final. The winner in the final will receive an amount of US$30,000.
Before Friday’s win, his best was to finish second in the Stockholm leg on 30 June.
“The Diamond League Final in Zurich will be the last competition of the season, so the plan is to continue doing what I was doing. It’s only 10 days, I don’t have much time to do more or do extra training. Without any injuries Will look to end the session on a positive note.”
While winning her title in Lausanne, Chopra also qualified for the 2023 World Championships in Budapest by breaking the 85.20m qualifying mark.
“Qualifying in advance for the World Championship is an advantage as there are other tournaments like Asian Games and Asian Championships, so next year will be very important.
“And, then the Olympics in 2024. So World Championship qualification is already out of the picture, I can prepare well for all competitions,” he said.
Chopra has had a successful 2022 season, winning a historic silver at the World Championships as well as breaking the national record (with 89.94m) in the Stockholm Diamond League on 30 June.
“It’s been a great year for me so far. I’ve gone over 89m three times in five competitions, 88.3m at the World Championships and 86.69m at the Cuortaine Games despite challenging weather,” he said.
“So, the performance has been consistent and now the focus is on doing well in Zurich. Yes, everyone is asking about the 90m throw, it will happen when the time comes, I am not under any pressure about it. “
Chopra was welcomed to the stands by Abhinav Bindra, the country’s first shooter to win an individual gold medal at the 2008 Olympics.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach also watched Chopra make history as the Diamond League leg was taking place at the headquarters of the world’s top sporting body.
Chopra said, “It was a special night, the most important thing is to come back with a very good throw. Abhinav Bindra sir, IOC President Thomas Bach sir and the crowd was cheering me on.”
This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed. Only the title has been changed.
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