New Delhi, India

India's Neeraj Chopra is surely eyeing to join javelin's elite 90-metre club but will happily settle for a shorter throw in the forthcoming Paris Olympics if it proves enough for him to retain his title at the mega event, stated his coach. The mega event kicks off in July 26 in France and all eyes are on the 26-year-old to win hearts once again with a memorable performance. Neeraj rose to fame in Tokyo 2020 by winning the gold medal in men's javelin event (India's first Olympic gold medal in athletics) with an impressive 87.58 metre throw. Since then, he has climbed up the ladder constantly but the elusive 90-metre mark evades him.

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Following his Tokyo blitz, Neeraj became the world champion and even registered a personal best (PB) distance of 89.94 metre at the Stockholm Diamond League in 2022. However, he has been continuously asked about the 90-m mark. Nonetheless, his coach Klaus Bartonietz has affirmed that retaining his Olympic title remains Neeraj's top priority. 

'The mark increases almost every year, but the medal stays'

Bartonietz told Reuters -- after the Doha Diamond League this weekend -- "A medal is more important than a mark. The mark increases almost every year, but the medal stays. Nobody asks Neeraj how far his throw reached in Tokyo. It was 87.58 and it was enough. If it's 85 metres and still gets you an Olympic gold, you should be okay with it."

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Also read: Javelin king Neeraj Chopra fell two centimeters shy of first spot finish in Doha Diamond League - Watch Video

It is to be noted that the 90 metre-mark has been surpassed a total of 125 times by 24 athletes since javelin was redesigned in 1986. Nonetheless, only three of those throws came during the Olympics.

Bartonietz said, "I'd be happy if Neeraj can produce his PB in Paris. It should be enough. It's one thing to throw 90 metres, and a totally different thing to do it in the most important competition in a four-year cycle."

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Meanwhile, Neeraj kicked off his 2024 season with a second-place finish at the Diamond League in Doha on Friday (May 10), falling short of Jakub Vadlejch's winning throw of 88.38m by two centimetres.