Olympic javelin champion Neeraj Chopra revealed on Saturday that he will begin training with legendary javelin thrower and world record holder Jan Zelezny. Their collaboration is set to commence this winter at a training camp in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Neeraj, who had been seeking a new coach following the retirement of his long-time coach Klaus Bartonietz, is now set to work with one of the sport’s greatest. Zelezny, a three-time Olympic gold medalist (1992, 1996, 2000) and three-time world champion, holds the current world record for javelin with a throw of 98.48m—far beyond Neeraj’s personal best of 89.94m.
“Growing up, I admired Jan’s technique and precision, spending hours watching videos of him. His unmatched experience and our similar throwing styles make this partnership invaluable. It’s an honor to have him by my side as I push toward the next level,” Neeraj shared.
The transition also marks the end of a long-standing partnership between Zelezny and Jakub Vadlejch, the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist. According to Zelezny, he and Vadlejch agreed to part ways when they couldn’t come to terms on Neeraj joining their training group. Zelezny expressed excitement about Neeraj joining, noting he had always seen great potential in the young Indian athlete and hoped to help him reach new heights.
With Zelezny’s expertise, Neeraj is poised to make strides toward further success on the global stage.
