Rohit Yadav aims for season's best on home turf in Neeraj Chopra Classic

Bengaluru, July 3 (IANS) As Indian javelin thrower Rohit Yadav prepares for the Neeraj Chopra Classic, he remains focused on staying fit and is aiming to match the season's best mark of 83.40 metres.

Last month, Rohit braved challenging weather conditions to secure the gold medal at the Taiwan Athletics Open with a 74.42m throw. But at the NC Classic, the two-time national champion is hoping to match his season's best throw.

"If there's an 80m mark, I believe I can reach it. The first thing is, you need to be fit to compete. Secondly, I don’t want to aggravate my injury. I'm confident I can produce a personal best throw. My goal is to throw close to my season’s best of 83.40 metres," said Rohit ahead of the Neeraj Chopra Classic, a world athletics gold-level event.

"In Taipei, I recorded a throw of 74.40 metres. I was dealing with an injury earlier, so I was being cautious to avoid aggravating it. I spoke to the physio, and he assured me there was no serious issue — just some tightness. There was a bit of load, so I competed with caution. I had set a target of 70 to 80 metres in Taiwan, so 74.40 was a good result. It was raining there, but overall, it went fine," he added.

Sharing about the home advantage in the World Athletics gold-level meet, Rohit said, "I’ve competed on this ground many times before, so that definitely gives us a bit of an advantage. When the venue changes, things can feel different, but here everything is familiar — the ground is well-maintained, the facilities are good, and there’s no issue with food and other arrangements. That’s the home advantage — the comfort and familiarity, and of course, the crowd support."

Rohit further said that while many athletes thrive on crowd energy, he finds his rhythm in focus and silence. "But to be honest, I’m someone who prefers silence. I know most athletes feed off the crowd’s energy, but personally, I like it quiet. If it’s the kind of crowd that claps in rhythm, that’s fine. But when people start shouting randomly, it can feel distracting, like things are out of control. It’s not that I have a problem with the cheering — I just prefer to stay focused on my throw, regardless of the noise," he said.

Sharing his excitement about the first international javelin throw competition going to be held in India, Rohit said, "This is happening for the first time, and I’m very happy about it — not just me, but the entire country. All of us javelin throwers are excited because world-class athletes are coming to compete here. Neeraj (Chopra) is also competing, and I last shared the field with him in 2022. Now, I’ll get the opportunity to compete alongside him again, as well as with top international athletes," he concluded.

The Neeraj Chopra Classic, co-organised by two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj himself and JSW Sports, and sanctioned by the Athletics Federation of India, is slated to take place on Saturday at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.

--IANS

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