Neeraj Chopra focused for his best show at Olympics

There are a lot of hopes pinned on Neeraj Chopra ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. For one, the Indian javelin thrower has always stepped up when called upon - be it the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games or Asian Championships.

Then there is his form this season which looks solid, especially considering the spells of inactivity and constant rejigging of the training and competition schedule due to travel restrictions and the Covid-19 pandemic. He produced his personal best at the Indian Grand Prix III in Patiala in March, a throw of 88.07m. And although his numbers were not progressively better as one would hope, his last throw of 86.79 at Kuortane in Finland at the end of last month shows that the 23-year-old is near his peak.

This was Chopra's first high level international competition - featuring Olympic favourite Johannes Vetter and London Olympic gold medallist Keshorn Walcoot among others - since 2018 and the feeling was a bit alien to him.

"It was important to compete with the top athletes in Finland. These are the same people I will have to compete at the Olympics with so in that way it was very useful," said Chopra during a virtual interaction on Sunday.

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"I did my personal best in Patiala. I was at my peak then. In the two competitions here I did ok, but couldn't do better or near my personal best (he threw 80.96m at Karlstad on June 22). I used to feel normal at international events but (in Finland) I felt like it was my first international meet. But the throw, 86.79, was good. But the feeling is I could throw better."

The Visa situation ruled out the possibility of further competitive experience at the Diamond League event in London, the Haryana athlete is keen to use the time wisely to work on his craft. The 23-year-old is now training and fine-tuning his skills in Upsala, Sweden.

"The height was too much (in the throw in Finland). So I'm working to ensure I'm technically correct and I get back to my best fitness. I am working on not putting too much height, working on throwing it in a line to ensure that the power I put into the javelin is not lost," he remarked adding that he is also doing visualisation to ensure better performance.

Chopra is acutely aware of the pressure and expectations on him. But he believes the margins are such that it will come down to who can perform on the day.

"Competition is there but I believe it will depend on the day. The way my preparation is going, I think I am ready. From my end my effort is to do my best and try and win the medal. I feel positive. There was pressure during CWG, Asian Championships and Asian Games. I have been able to handle it and perform. So this time as well, I'm trying to do the same. I know the Olympics is the biggest. I read daily that there is hope for me winning a medal or that I can't win. If I keep thinking about medals and things, I won't be able to focus properly. So I'm just ensuring that I get the best diet, rest and preparation. As the Olympics are getting closer, my mind is also getting ready for it."

Chopra is planning to get one more week of intense training before easing off. He will head for Tokyo on July 26.