Last update:November 08, 2024, 4:35 p.m. IST

The 26-year-old double Olympic medalist, who last participated in the Diamond League final in Brussels.

Neeraj Chopra will look to improve his technique ahead of the new season. (Image: PTI/File)

Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will travel to Potchefstroom, South Africa, later this month for off-season training to begin preparing early for next year’s competitions.

The 26-year-old double Olympic medalist, who last competed in the Diamond League final in Brussels in September, will spend 31 days in the South African city.

Chopra’s training course will be funded by the Sports Ministry.

“(He) will begin his training early and will remain in Potchefstroom for 31 days,” the ministry said in a statement on Friday.

“Neeraj’s training session will be funded by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYAS) and the expenses will cover his accommodation, board and training costs as well as those of his physiotherapist for the period of his stay in Africa South.”

In the past, Chopra has trained in Potchefstroom several times, including before the Tokyo and Paris Olympics.

He also competed there in January 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. He finished victorious with a throw of 87.86m in ACNW League Meeting 1 at McArthur Stadium.

Chopra battled an adductor muscle problem throughout the year, which also affected his performance at the Paris Olympics and the Diamond League Finals, where he competed with a fractured left hand.

He had spoken earlier about seeing doctors at the end of the season to decide whether to resort to surgery to resolve the problem.

But while speaking to PTI on September 27, he had played down injury concerns and also said that he would look to improve his technique.

“It was a year marked by injuries, but my injury is fine now, I will be 100% fit for the new season,” he said.

Chopra, who added a silver medal at the Paris Olympics to his gold medal won at the Tokyo Games three years ago, recently parted ways with his German coach Klaus Bartonietz, ending a partnership extremely successful five years.

Indian athletics chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair had told PTI that a new coach for Chopra is likely to be appointed before the end of the year.

Next year, Chopra’s main focus will be to defend the gold medal at the World Championships in Tokyo, besides working hard to reach the 90m mark.

He had won gold at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, with a throw of 88.17m. He has a personal best of 89.94m, just 6cm short of the 90m mark.

At the Paris Olympics, his silver-winning throw was 89.45m and it was beaten by Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who broke the Games record with an effort of 92.97m.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)