The Indian Javelin star and reigning Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, who has clinched gold at the Olympics, World Championships, and the Asian Games, recently opened up about his hardcore training regime in one of his interviews. The 27-year-old Indian track and field athlete, also often hailed as one of the best javelin throwers of all time, Neeraj revealed that he prefers to train in foreign countries for multiple reasons, including improved infrastructure, high-tech equipment and advanced training personnel.
Since his spine-chilling performance at the 2016 World U20 Championship, Neeraj continues to hold the junior javelin throw world record. In the most recent 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Neeraj clinched a silver medal with a dominant throw of 89.45m despite battling an adductor muscle niggle.
In this article we will take a look at Neeraj Chopra’s hardcore training regime and the reasons why he prefers to train away from his home country, India.
Why Neeraj Chopra Doesn’t Train in India—Inside His Olympic-Level Routine Abroad
Who is Neeraj Chopra?
The 27-year-old Indian professional track and field athlete and star javelin thrower, Neeraj Chopra, is often hailed as one of the most prominent flag bearers for India in the history of the Olympic Games. Neeraj created history and established himself as the first-ever Indian track-and-field athlete to win Olympic gold, with a throw of 87.58 m in the javelin final at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
In the most recent 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Neeraj clinched a silver medal with the season’s second-best throw of 89.45 m and established himself as the first-ever Indian track-and-field athlete to clinch medals in two consecutive Olympic Games.
What Does Neeraj Chopra’s Training Schedule Look Like?
The Indian javelin stalwart, Neeraj Chopra, undergoes a hardcore training regime in order to stay at the top of his javelin throwing game and maintain his reigning status in the sport. As per reports, the German biomechanics and javelin coach, Klaus Bartonietz, has been Neeraj’s primary coach since 2019.
Under Klaus Bartonietz’s guidance, Neeraj has considerably improved both his technique and speed. Additionally, Neeraj also works closely with a team of specialists, including the orthopaedic specialist Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala and Naval Singh to maintain his fitness.
According to reports, Neeraj Chopra’s most notable overseas training locations include South Africa (Potchefstroom), Finland (Kuortane Training Center) and Turkey (Gloria Sports Arena). In one of his interviews, Neeraj revealed that his training session starts at sharp 6:30 AM with warm-up drills, running drills and strength training followed by javelin throw drills in the afternoon.
Additionally, the Indian javelin star, Neeraj, also revealed that he takes a day off each week from his training regime in order to relax and unwind.
Why Does Neeraj Chopra Prefer Training Abroad?
Well, countries like Finland, South Africa and Turkey offer specialised javelin training centres with all-weather tracks, biomechanics labs and highly-effective recovery units, which is one of the major reasons why the 27 year old Indian javelin stalwart, Neeraj, prefers to train in foreign countries instead d training in his home country India.
Additionally, in one of his interviews, Neeraj mentioned that training abroad really helps him in cut off the distractions and staying motivated and challenged in the competitive atmosphere. Moreover, Neeraj’s coach Klaus Bartonietz is based in Europe and often accompanies the iconic javelin thrower to his training sessions across various countries.
Unfortunately, the training camps in India majorly lack video analysis experts, strength coaches, and physiotherapists, which leaves Neeraj with no other option than to travel to another country to unleash his full potential. Although India is a developing country, it might take a few more years to fully utilise the resources and improve the training camps for javelin throwers.
