A young Neeraj Chopra with javelin legend Jan Zelezny. ( IIS | X)
Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra announced that he will be coached by javelin legend Jan Železný, who currently holds the javelin world record. Železný will replace Dr Klaus Bartonietz, who was with Neeraj Chopra since before the coronavirus pandemic. Neeraj’s association with Bartonietz had led to two Olympic and two world championship medals.
Neeraj Chopra has long spoken of his admiration for Jan Železný, who was the gold medallist at the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games besides having five of the top ten best throws of all time. The Czechia legend broke the javelin throw world record on four occasions en route to claiming the current undisputed mark of 98.48m, in Germany, in 1996.
“Growing up, I admired Jan’s technique and precision and spent a lot of time watching videos of him. He was the best in the sport for so many years, and I believe that working with him will be invaluable because our throwing styles are similar, and his knowledge is unmatched. It’s an honour to have Jan by my side as I push towards the next level in my career, and I can’t wait to get started,” said Neeraj Chopra.
Under Jan Železný’s guidance, Neeraj Chopra is eager to work on the technical side of the sport. It must be noted that when Nerraj Chopra won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, Jan Železný was the coach of the other two men on the Tokyo 2020 podium, Jakub Vadlejch (silver) and Vítězslav Veselý (bronze). Železný has also coached two-time Olympic Champion and three-time World Champion Barbora Špotáková.
“I have already spoken about Neeraj as a great talent many years ago. When I saw him early in his career, I realised great possibilities for top results. I also said that if I should start to coach somebody from outside Czechia, my first choice would be Neeraj. I like his story and I see big potential, as he is young and able to improve. There have been many athletes contacting me for coaching, so for me to take this up means that it is a great honour to have him in my team. We are getting to know each other more closely and will start in person at a traditional winter camp in South Africa. I believe in his progress, especially in the technical aspect, so that he can continue achieving top positions at the main championships,” said Železný.
Jan Železný’s impact on Neeraj Chopra
Recently, in a video on social media, Neeraj had spoken of the impact Jan Železný had on him early on in his career.
“When I had searched for world record in javelin on YouTube, I found Železný’s clips. Kya gazab ka athlete hai (what an incredible athlete he was). When I saw a clip of his world record throw of 98.48m, I knew right then that he was the best and I wanted to watch his videos and emulate him. He has a smooth run up, he had a jabardast cross leg action, attack and blocking leg. It became my routine: Železný, YouTube and me! One thing that not many people know about is that when I was throwing at Tokyo 2020 final, Železný was sitting right behind me. He was coaching the silver and bronze medallist. But he didn;t know that he also had a role in my medal (becasue of him inspiring me early on).”
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