Neeraj Chopra performs Garba with the crowd in Vadodara. (Screengrab: SAI on Twitter)What can’t Neeraj Chopra do?
The 24-year-old has already won a Commonwealth Games, Asiad and Olympic gold to go with a Diamond League win very recently. In the time since his historic win at Tokyo Olympics, Chopra has also garnered adulation the way not many athletes in the country have. Adulation that was visible when he visited the city of Vadodara in Gujarat ahead of the 36th National Games.
Glimpse of #Neeraj doing Garba along with the enthusiastic crowd🤩 amidst #navratri2022 celebrations in #Gujarat#36thNationalGames #NationalGames2022 pic.twitter.com/s5j9B1VL25
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) September 28, 2022
Chopra joined in the ongoing Garba celebrations during Navratri at one of the famous venues, dancing alongside the enthusiastic crowd as well.
The World Championship silver medalist also held the mic on stage to address the people present at the venue.
EXCLUSIVE 🤩
Olympic Gold 🥇Medalist and World Champion @Neeraj_chopra1 🇮🇳 joins in to enjoy garba in #Vadodara, which is part of the Navratra celebrations in Gujarat, during his visit for the #36thNationalGames pic.twitter.com/Zj0UDpbw3l
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) September 28, 2022
Chopra had announced that he won’t be participating at the National Games this year.
“As per my schedule planned at the start of the year, this was my last event of the season. I would have participated in the Asian Games around this time but that were postponed. So, my season ends with the Zurich event. The dates for the National Games were announced recently. I have consulted with my coach and he advised me to skip it to rest and prepare for a crucial season next year,” Chopra had said following his Diamond League triumph in Zurich.
“Rest and recreation are also very important for an athlete, we can’t only think about competitions and medals. The body suffers a lot of wear and tear and fatigue during a season and proper rest during the reason and a good off-season is very necessary,” he added.