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Journalism of Courage
Uwe Hohn, the only man to have thrown the javelin a distance of more than 100 metres, spoke to The Indian Express about the techniques of some of the top throwers after the recent World Championships in Tokyo.
He revealed why Arshad Nadeem can flounder at times, how Julian Weber can touch 95m, how Keshorn Walcott nailed the gold at Tokyo, and what Chopra needs to do to return to his very best.
“Neeraj is a speed thrower. He has not improved his technique and speed as much as he could have. In the World Championships, he had no rhythm. He tried to throw with just his upper body (Chopra said he had “back issues”). This tendency could be seen throughout the season, even when he threw 90 m. He needs to return to his strengths — flexibility, agility and speed— and improve hip-shoulder separation and body position. He also needs to lose weight, and get back to being an athlete again.”
“Nadeem is a power thrower. He used his body size in 2024 (Olympics). His running is bad, he has bad ground contact that had a bad influence on his technique and affected the stability of throwing position. He needs to fix his knee and improve ability to run and jump.”
“Weber is a power thrower who has improved his technique. He throws the javelin straighter than before. His weakness is the run up, which hurt him in Tokyo (World Championships). He can throw 95m if he can sort out his running and improve his rhythm.”
“His technique and power have improved, and he hit (threw) the javelins pretty clean. He can still improve his body position and release angle.”
“Peters is a power thrower. His technique is not great but he has gotten better. His quality of release like angle and cleanness of hitting (throwing) the javelin has gotten much better.”
