Wise words from Julius Yego that saved the day for injury-stricken Neeraj Chopra in Lausanne

Wise words from Julius Yego that saved the day for injury-stricken Neeraj Chopra in Lausanne

Abigael Wafula 11:43 - 25.08.2024

Neeraj Chopra has recounted what Julius Yego told him to propel him to a second-place finish at the Diamond League Meeting Lausanne amid injury woes.

Neeraj Chopra explained how Julius Yego propelled him to a second-place finish at the Diamond League Meeting in Lausanne.

Chopra was struggling to make an impact after suffering an injury in his adductors that affected his groin for quite some time. Going into the Diamond League Meeting in Lausanne, Chopra was just fresh from a second-place finish at the Paris Olympic Games.

He managed to clear 83m and there was a possibility that he could not finish in the podium bracket, however, Yego, the 2015 world champion saved the day for him.

Yego’s words ran through his head as he managed to put in more effort and throw 85.58m and 89.49m respectively.

“In the beginning, it was really hard today. My body didn’t feel good. But I pushed myself mentally in the fifth and last attempt. In the last attempt, I really won because (Anderson) Peters threw 90 meters. And the body didn’t feel good but the fighting spirit was really nice today. I really liked that comeback with my second-best throw,” Neeraj told Sport Star.

“In the last throw, I didn’t think much and I just gave my best. I think too much. In the beginning, I was thinking I have to do this, do that. But Julius Yego told me, ‘Stay relaxed, you will throw far.’ So I tried to stay relaxed and hit it clean,” he added.

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He also credited his Ishan Marwaha for ensuring he competed well despite the injury woes. He explained that as the competition started, he never thought he would manage to finish but somehow, things turned out well for him.

“Luckily after Paris, it was not too much. So I did some treatment with my physio. He did really well and I feel good. I did some very easy throwing sessions after Paris. And it was a strange competition today. In the beginning, I did not feel that I could throw that far but in the end it was really good,” he said.

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