Chopra is currently training in Magglingen, Switzerland, with his coach Klaus Bartonietz and physio Ishaan Marwaha.
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In the qualifying round at the Paris Games, Chopra showcased his exceptional skills with a season-best throw of 89.34m and during the final he managed to improve it to 89.45m, but it didn’t prove enough to beat Nadeem, who set a new Olympic record on his second attempt, marking a distance of 92.97m to create history for Pakistan.
“Nadeem is a very hardworking player and (I have) competed against him always full of positivity. That day too I was quite sure that we would have a good fight,” said Chopra during a video interaction with the media, organised by JSW.
“After he made an Olympic record on his second attempt, it created pressure on everyone; but since I had competed with him previously, I was quite sure that I will break his record after my second attempt, which was close to 90m (89.54m), but somehow my body didn’t allow.”
Chopra’s quest for gold in Paris began with a foul on his first attempt. His rival, Nadeem, also failed to register a valid throw on his initial try.
Throughout the competition, Chopra struggled to find his rhythm, with only one legal throw out of six attempts. Despite not performing at his best, the Indian star still managed to secure a place in the history books.
By winning a medal at the Paris Games, Chopra became only the third Indian overall to achieve back-to-back medals in the Olympics. He joined the elite company of wrestler Sushil Kumar, who won a bronze and silver in the 2008 and 2012 Games, and ace badminton player PV Sindhu, who claimed silver in 2016 at Rio and bronze in Tokyo 2020.
“It is never easy to perform in the Olympics, especially when you are defending your medal…From there (second throw), I knew that I can breach the Olympic record but somehow I was not able to do as my body didn’t allow. I am happy that I won a silver medal for the country; but I will work on the things that are needed to recover well,” added Chopra.
When asked which event Chopra is targeting next, he said, “I have finally decided to participate in the Lausanne Diamond League, which begins August 22.”
