Neeraj Chopra believes sports science a necessity for any Indian athlete eyeing excellence
Neeraj Chopra in action
|Neeraj Chopra feels that widespread acceptance of sports science would be critical for Indian athletes and for their pursuit of greatness and excellence in their domains. Chopra, who won a gold medal in javelin throw at Tokyo 2020, was speaking at National Centre for Sports Science and Research.
“I believe to be able to give a world-class performance, things like sports science and biomechanics matter a lot along with your regular training,” Chopra, who joined the panel virtually, said. “Further, having knowledge of sports science also helps you understand things like nutrition, diet, recovery, and biomechanics technically,” Chopra added.
Neeraj Chopra is preparing for the 2022 Athletics World Championships and Commonwealth Games in Finland. During the meeting, the Indian star also stressed the need of having a staff with a technical understanding of sports science and biomechanics to assist him to develop as a player.
“It is only after understanding all of this and more that we are able to progress as an athlete and as a competitor. This is the case for me here and at NSNIS Patiala, where I slowly learned about all of this and am thus able to progress as a player. So having knowledge of sports science and biomechanics helps a lot,” Neeraj Chopra stated.
He has been collaborating with Dr. Klaus Bartonietz, a biomechanics expert, for the past few years. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) inked an MOU with IIT-Madras just before Neeraj's session, in which the latter will give technological and biomechanical specialist insights for athletes' growth in the country.
Renowned players and coaches such as Anju Bobby George, Shakti Singh, Radhakrishnan Nair, and notable lecturers also joined the session. Neeraj Chopra hasn't competed since the Tokyo Olympics, but he'll be back in action on June 14 in the Turku Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland, commemorating his comeback to competition after a 10-month hiatus.
