“I will try to make some changes”: World, Olympic and Asian Games champion Neeraj Chopra
Gurugram (Haryana) [India], October 13 (ANI): “Want to inspire the young generation in sports,” said Neeraj Chopra, after the reigning Olympic, World and Asian Games champion in javelin throw was named a Laureus Ambassador.
As a Laureus Ambassador, Neeraj joins a unique team of elite athletes from across the generations, including icons of Indian sport Kapil Dev, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.
“I have heard from the beginning that it is considered the Oscar of sports. It was nice to meet Yuvraj Singh. It felt very good that they chose me as their ambassador. I will try to make some changes. I want to inspire the young generation in sports,” Neeraj told ANI on Thursday
Former cricketer Yuvraj Singh was honoured as Laureus Ambassador in 2017.
The 25-year-old Chopra also said that training is his first priority and he never compromises with his training.
“My training and my sports are my first priority. I have given maximum time to my training. Earlier I had given most of my time to my training and even now I have given most of my time to sports. We are players so training is most important for us. I have given full attention to my training and have not made compromises. As long as I keep playing, I will keep doing this. I have always learned one thing from home and my own journey, talk to people with respect,” Neeraj told ANI
Yuvraj Singh also told ANI about Neeraj, “He (Neeraj) has inspired the next generation a lot. He won the Olympic medal which is a huge thing.”
This year, Neeraj has climbed to the World No.1 ranking with golds at the World Championships and, earlier this month, the Asian Games. His gold medal run has catapulted him to an incredible level of fame in his home country.
Neeraj secured his gold medal in the 19th Asian Games with a throw of 88.88 metres, dominating other athletes. His compatriot Kishore Jena, hailing from Odisha, came closest to challenging Neeraj, achieving a personal best throw of 87.54 metres.