Neeraj Chopra set for Turkish sojourn after visa issues in South Africa

CHENNAI: With a throw of 87.86m at the ACNW League Meeting in Potchefstroom last week, Neeraj Chopra achieved the Olympic qualification mark (85m). A massive weight off his shoulders, Neeraj took some time off to enjoy India’s U-19 cricket team’s journey at the World Cup. But unfortunately, the javelin star’s South Africa sojourn has come to an end due to visa issues. But that doesn’t mean he gets to rest. By next week, the 22-year-old will be leaving for Antalya, Turkey. “We were not able to extend his visa. But we managed to find another opportunity for Neeraj.

He along with German biomechanics expert Dr Klaus Bartonietz and a physiotherapist will go to Antalya, Turkey by mid-February and will train there for three to four weeks. They will be back in India by mid-March to participate in the Federation Cup. We have booked the hotel and everything and are waiting for a visa,” Athletics Federation of India’s high-performance director Volker Herrmann told this daily. 

Meanwhile, the likes of Shivpal Singh, Annu Rani and Vipin Kasana along with foreign coach Uwe Hohn will continue to remain in Potchefstroom till mid-March. Rohit Yadav, who is training for the U-20 World Championships later this year, has also returned to India with Neeraj. The 19-year-old also had a successful outing with a throw of 77.61m at the ACNW League Meeting. He is currently Neeraj’s training partner and will accompany the Asian Games gold medallist to Antalya.

Volker also revealed that Neeraj will not be taking part in any competitions in Turkey. Despite qualifying for Tokyo, the main focus will be on correcting some technical errors and fine-tune his throw before the Olympics. “He won’t be taking part in any competitions there. This is purely a training camp. The target for him is the Olympics. Despite his massive throw to qualify, he and Dr Klaus will be focussing on technique and recovery. We are also expecting some early Diamond League invites,” Volker said. 

Green likely to join in April
There has been some development regarding a foreign coach for long and middle-distance runners in the country. The AFI in December had shortlisted Australian Ben Green to join the Indian camp to help prepare for the Olympics. 

And Volker has said that there has been some progress regarding Green’s contract. “If everything goes well, we are expecting him to start by the beginning of April.” Green, an IAAF (World Athletics) Level 4 coach, is currently with Front Runner Sports in Australia.