Neeraj Chopra update: Speaks on fitness ahead of Paris Olympics, what 90m throw means to him

"I want to be in best possible shape before Paris. My training sessions have gone off really well so far. I always lay stress on fitness along with strength and technique," Neeraj said.

A nearly 86-metre throw for a win bodes well before the Paris Diamond League meet in early July, his final competition before the Paris Olympics. (File)

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra said on Friday said that he wanted to be in the best possible shape before the Paris Olympics which is due to start July 26.

“I want to be in best possible shape before Paris. My training sessions have gone off really well so far. I always lay stress on fitness along with strength and technique. This is the best I have felt in a long time but I must add that training and competition are not the same. When you wear the India jersey, the feeling is different, the josh (energy) is unbelievable,” he said to SAI Media.

Talking about the elusive 90-metre mark, the 26-year-old said again that ‘distance doesn’t matter to him.’ Recently, German youngster Max Dehning threw the javelin to a distance of 90.20 metres at a German winter meet. Reacting to it, Chopra said that it “did not add any pressure” but only indicated that the level of competition this year will be stiff.

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“What matters to me is staying 100 per cent fit, being consistent during the season and delivering on the day that matters. I think there are mistakes to fix and looking at the increasing competition all around, one has to keep improving. The road will close if you think you have done it all,” he said.

Talking about how his performance in Tokyo indicated that his preparation for global tournaments was going in the right direction, he said, “I have won medals in two World Championships, threw my personal best (89.94 metres at Stockholm), won a dream Diamond League title and even defended my gold at the Asian Games. All in all, I have been in great space and want to carry forward that momentum from May onwards.”