Double Olympic Medalist Neeraj Chopra All Set To Fly To South Africa For Training

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

"(He) will start his training early and will be in Potchefstroom for a period of 31 days," 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 Ministry of Sports And Youth Affairs and expenditure will cover his and his physiorapist's lodging, boarding, and training costs for period of his stay in South Africa. In past, Chopra has trained in Potchefstroom, South Africa including ahe of Tokyo and Paris Olympics.

Neeraj Chopra after claiming gold in Tokyo Games 2020, successfully clinched a silver medal at Paris Olympics, where he was beaten by Arsh Neem of Pakistan . In Paris Olympics, Neeraj won silver medal with a throw of 89.45m and was bested by Pakistan's Arsh Neem 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 World Championships gold in Tokyo besides also working hard to hit 90m mark. He h won gold in 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary with a throw of 88.17m. He has a personal best of 89.94m, just 6cm short of 90m mark. 

Neeraj Chopra suffered from an injury throughout year, battling an ductor muscle niggle that affected his performance at both Paris Olympics and Diamond League Final, where he competed with a fractured left hand. He h earlier spoken about consulting doctors at end of season to decide wher to undergo surgery to fix 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.