Neeraj Chopra's Quest for Gold: Training for 2025 in South Africa

Olympic silver medallist Neeraj Chopra embarks on a 31-day training camp in Potchefstroom, South Africa, eying a breakthrough 90 m throw and the 2025 athletics season. Guided by coach Klaus Bartonietz and physiotherapist Ishaan Marwaha, Chopra aims to reclaim top form after a challenging 2024 season.

Renowned javelin thrower and Olympic silver medallist Neeraj Chopra is poised to undergo intensive training in South Africa, within a 31-day camp in Potchefstroom, as he prepares for the athletics season of 2025. According to information from Olympics.com, Potchefstroom has previously been Chopra's training hub where he readied himself for both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics.

Since 2019, Chopra's journey has been shaped under the guidance of Dr. Klaus Bartonietz, a biomechanics expert whose coaching was instrumental in Chopra's victorious performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and his 2023 World Championship triumph in Budapest. In the South African camp, Neeraj will also be supported by his physiotherapist, Ishaan Marwaha, as he gears up for the pivotal 2025 season.

Chopra, aged 26, is set on surpassing a formidable 90 m threshold next year while enhancing his fitness. In the upcoming 2025 season, he will also contend in notable events like the Diamond League series. Although Chopra had a strong 2024 season, he faced challenges, such as being unable to defend his Olympic title in Paris, where Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem captured gold with a record-breaking throw of 92.97 m.

The setbacks in his 2024 season included multiple second-place finishes, marred by injuries. He began the season with an 88.36 m throw at the Doha Diamond League in May and achieved a silver-winning 89.45 m throw at the Paris Olympics. Neeraj attained his second-best throw of 89.49 m at the Lausanne Diamond League, concluding his season in Brussels. Despite these remarkable performances, Chopra secured second position in all four major meets. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)