London ticket could see Neeraj emerge stronger

He had to focus on two goals last year—the Olympics and the under-20 Worlds which came close to each other—and that was one reason why under-20 World champion Neeraj Chopra failed to qualify for Rio.

Neeraj was a disappointed and depressed youngster midway through last year. He had made the cut for the under-20 Worlds earlier and was desperate to qualify for the Olympics.

He had to focus on two goals last year—the Olympics and the under-20 Worlds which came close to each other—and that was one reason why under-20 World champion Neeraj Chopra failed to qualify for Rio.

Neeraj was a disappointed and depressed youngster midway through last year. He had made the cut for the under-20 Worlds earlier and was desperate to qualify for the Olympics.

But a shoulder strain and a packed tour—at one stage he travelled to four countries within a space of 20 days—and that only added to his shoulder worries.

But once the deadline for the Rio Olympics passed, Neeraj was able to focus on the under-20 Worlds and it saw him break the under-20 world record by an impressive margin. And it was three and half metres better than the Rio entry standard.

Neeraj appears fresh this year and now after qualifying for the London Worlds , he should be a stronger thrower. His 83.32m effort, so early in the season and which makes him the eighth best thrower in the world this year, while winning the Asian Grand Prix silver in Jiaxing on Thursday, is a very promising indicator.

His only worry is how long his Australian coach Garry Calvert would stay with him.