Young javelin sensation Neeraj Chopra today said he believed his throw in a recent competition in Poland, which set a junior world record, was "perfect".
The 18-year-old lad from Panipat created history by becoming the first Indian athlete to become a world champion at any level when he won gold medal at the U20 World Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, last Saturday.
Chopra hurled the javelin at 86.48 metres the second time to not only seal the gold but also to break the junior world record and senior national record.
He however missed a berth at Rio Olympics as he achieved the feat after the qualification deadline was over on July 18.
Chopra will flag off '7th Kranti Daud 2016', a half marathon organised by NGO Aapan Sare, here tomorrow.
"In training, my throw was not that long. In South Asian Games in Guwahati, I had bagged gold medal with 82.23 meters throw and in all India matches I have hit 81 meters, but there were some technical faults. The coach advised me if I improved the throw, then it will be better," he said.
He believed the throw in Poland was "perfect both in technique and speed", he added.
"After SAAF and before going to Poland, there was some pain in the back, which led to some break. One to two competitions did not go well (because of the injury), but I took rest and prepared myself for the Junior World," he said.
Asked if the injury did not allow him to take part in Olympic qualifiers, he said, "Injury and some technical faults, as there was no training."
Talking about how he took up javelin throwing, he said, "I used to go to Shivaji stadium in Panipat for fitness and one of my seniors, Jayveer, took up javelin throw. I liked the sport and then there was the dream to do something.
"While playing basketball, I had injured my hand (in
November 2012) and then thought my career was over. After that I had one month to prepare for nationals and then got a similar performance (a gold medal). I thought if I could do here, I will be able to do it," he said.
Injury is a part and parcel of sportsperson's life, he said, adding "I am not disappointed (not to be part of Rio), there is Tokyo Olympics, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. I will prepare well.
