Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Neeraj Chopra is all set to fly off to South Africa later this month for advanced training to get ready for the upcoming competitions. The 26-year-old double Olympic medalist who last competed in Brussels in the Diamond League will spend 31 days in South Africa as part of his training regimen. Chopra’s training stint will be funded by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs. 

“(He) will start his training early and will be in Potchefstroom for a period of 31 days,” the ministry said in a statement on Friday.

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Updates On Neeraj’s Training Session

Neeraj Chopra’s training session will be funded by the Ministry of Sports And Youth Affairs and the expenditure will cover his and his physiotherapist’s lodging, boarding, and training costs for the period of his stay in South Africa. In the past, Chopra has trained in Potchefstroom, South Africa including ahead of Tokyo and Paris Olympics.

Neeraj Chopra after claiming gold in the Tokyo Games 2020, successfully clinched a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, where he was beaten by Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan . In the Paris Olympics, Neeraj won the silver medal with a throw of 89.45m and was bested by Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem who threw a record-breaking distance of 92.97m. 

Chopra recently parted ways with his German coach Klaus Bartonietz, ending a hugely successful five-year partnership that started in 2019. 

Jan Zelezny has been appointed Neeraj Chopra’s new coach and will be travelling with him to South Africa for training.

Neeraj Chopra’s Upcoming Goals

Neeraj Chopra’s main aim next year will be to defend the World Championships gold in Tokyo besides also working hard to hit the 90m mark. He had won gold in the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary with a throw of 88.17m. He has a personal best of 89.94m, just 6cm short of the 90m mark. 

Neeraj Chopra suffered from an injury throughout the year, battling an adductor muscle niggle that affected his performance at both the Paris Olympics and the Diamond League Final, where he competed with a fractured left hand. He had earlier spoken about consulting doctors at the end of the season to decide whether to undergo surgery to fix the problem. Despite this, Neeraj seems optimistic about his upcoming championships, and his next big move will be training in South Africa with a new coach.