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Neeraj with Indian cricket team in Hangzhou (IANS Photo)We heard there has been a huge demand among the Indian contingent to meet Neeraj, get pictures clicked with you, even the cricket teams who always enjoy the kind of popularity that you enjoy now in India…I too get myself clicked with the athletes (smiles). I know it (cricket) is the most popular sport in India, and now it is also part of the Asian Games; both men and women teams are part of it. Efforts are on to include it in the Olympics as well. The boys were saying it’s a privilege to meet. I met them (new young cricketers) for the first time, and have met the seniors before. They were very energetic.How do you take the hype that is there around your competition with Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who won a silver medal at the World Championships this year?Sport is global. You don’t compete with just one country. Even at the World Championships there was this same question, that ‘Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem is competing with you here, what are my thoughts on that’. I had said then that I don’t have a one to one competition. There are athletes from other countries as well, be it Pakistan or any other country. When we are on the field, we push each other. Off the field, we are friendly. We (athletes from all countries) eat together at the Athletes Village. That’s the message of the Games. Only an athlete or someone who understands sport will be able to understand that.You talked about carrying a groin injury. How have you handled it through the season?There are unnatural movements in javelin. So there always is some sort of strain. But yes, there is a niggle in the groin. It happened last year as well. I was feeling better, but it happened again. So I am taking care of it with the Paris Olympics in mind and working on it. My endeavour this season was to stay fit and divert myself and focus on the competition.I was struggling a little at the World Championships as well and was trying to keep my focus on my throw and not on the niggle because the strength of my throw is in my speed on the runway. That was the problem. I wasn’t able to throw with full run-up in training because of this. But I am still happy with my season. It was good. In sports things will not always pan out the way you want. I thought of being 100% fit before getting on the field this season. It didn’t happen. The main thing is to keep yourself fit for big competitions. That’s my priority. Diamond League we get every year, so I skipped some of those, even the continental meets of gold level. I also read somewhere after my Diamond League performances that ‘Neeraj should not play the Asian Games and focus on Paris’. But I don’t believe in running away from a situation.You are now looked up to as the global sports icon that every young Indian athlete wants to become. What’s your message to them?I will go back to 2018, when I played the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games for the first time. You shouldn’t take pressure at the start of your career. I was enjoying the Games in 2018 because to be at the Games was a dream. So I feel that passion should be there. Like yesterday (September 29) we won a medal in women’s shot-put (Kiran Baliyan). I said just one thing to her, just give your 100% without thinking about what will happen. It’s like you say you have nothing to lose. Winning is important, but a defeat also teaches you a lot of things. So just learn and believe in your abilities.Does the repeated question of hitting the 90-metre mark frustrate you?Number is always (on the mind) in every competition. But it also depends on the day. Like in Doha there was a lot of headwind, running was difficult. In contrast, at the World Championships it was an easy, relaxed run resulting in a good throw. Maybe God has some special plans (smiles). But I focus more on winning. A 90m throw is also important, but I think there are many who can throw 90m. It’s about being that competition and beating them.Watch One has to be consistent not only in throws but in training too: Neeraj Chopra
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