Neeraj Chopra: Success tips to learn from the Olympic champion

Neeraj Chopra, an Indian track and field athlete, won two successive Olympic medals on August 9, 2024-- a feat in itself. And, undoubtedly, Neeraj is an inspiration to many. Apart from winning a silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics and a gold at his debut Olympics in 2020, Neeraj has also won several other awards over the years. Here we list down some success tips to borrow from the Olympian.

In his childhood, Neeraj Chopra was quite a fat kid. In fact, his family enrolled him at a gym which was 20 km away from their home to get him in shape. And instead of complaining, Neeraj Chopra took this as an opportunity not just to get fit but also to learn a new skill-- javelin throw! Neeraj was just 13 when he was admitted to Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex, where he worked hard on himself and the results. Years later, the results are here for everyone to see!

Photo: Neeraj Chopra/ Instagram

No matter how successful one gets, do not let it get into your head. Instead, one needs to stay grounded and humble the higher success they achieve-- seems to be Olympian Neeraj Chopra's life mantra. In 2023 after winning a gold medal at the World Championships, Neeraj Chopra spoke about how he always strives to push himself to do better, despite his achievements. "There is a saying that throwers have no finish line. The best thing is that we have our javelin. We can always push ourselves. I may have won a lot of medals but the motivation is to throw farther and farther," Chopra told media persons over a Zoom call.

Photo: Neeraj Chopra/ Instagram

In 2016, Neeraj Chopra trained under Kashinath Naik, who is an Indian Army coach. In an earlier interview, coach Naik spoke about how Neeraj Chopra's confidence and dedication set him apart from other athletes. “(Neeraj) Chopra was already very confident when he came to train with me in 2016. And that confidence has only grown over the years. When a person consistently manages 100 throws near the 90-metre mark over seven years, their confidence is bound to be very high. Neeraj has that. He also has great arm speed. That helps. Another thing about Neeraj is he is dedicated to and consistent in his training. Many athletes often take it easy once they have won a medal or a competition, but not Neeraj. He has trained across the world,” Naik said, reported Money Control.

Photo: Neeraj Chopra/ Instagram

Staying calm and focussed on the goal, especially under pressure, is one of the key tips for success-- that's what great athletes and leaders are made of. Talking about this, ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024, Neeraj Chopra told Sports Star in an interview, "I always remind myself not to think about the fact that I am an Olympic champion. Every time I compete, I approach it as if it were my first time. I think that is very important. If I dwell on my past gold medal win (in the Tokyo Olympics 2020) and feel the need to repeat it, I’ll unnecessarily put extra pressure on myself. So, I focus on what I have to do on the day of the competition."

In the interview, Neeraj Chopra also revealed how he pep-talks himself to give his best performance at any competition. This is what helps him stay focussed and positive. "The only person you can talk with is yourself! If I think the last throw was good, I’ll tell myself I can do even better. If it wasn’t good, I would tell myself that I needed to do better... I’ll motivate myself by telling myself that I must do this. I can’t go without completing what I am there for," Neeraj Chopra said.

Photo: Neeraj Chopra/ Instagram

While it is important to stay focussed on your goal, one must not forget to enjoy the journey in the process, believes Neeraj Chopra.
"Many athletes have said that when you play with a relaxed mind and body, you produce incredible performances... I’ve tried playing under pressure; I’ve tried believing that competition was everything, but now I’m also trying to enjoy the moment... It’s hard to produce the best performance all the time, but as long as you are happy and enjoying yourself, the possibility of winning definitely increases," Neeraj Chopra told Sports Star.

Photo: Neeraj Chopra/ Instagram