Neeraj Chopra: Two time Gold Medallist, On Why Neeraj Chopra Will Find It Tough To Win Defend Olympic Title

🕘 Posted on: February 25, 2023 | Last updated on: March 11, 2023

Neeraj Chopra is the first Indian to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics. Kenyan David Rudisha, a two-time gold medallist at the Olympic Games in the 800 metres, is eager to coach Indian middle-distance and sprinters when his brilliant career comes to an end. The 34-year-old two-time 800 m world champion, who successfully defended his gold medal from the 2012 London Olympics in Rio four years later, added that it is difficult to win back-to-back gold medals at the quadrennial games, but India's star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra can pull it off if he keeps up his preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Games. Rudisha noted that his retirement could provide him the chance to mentor budding runners as he is nearing the "end of my professional career." noted that he could have possibilities after retirement to mentor ambitious runners. After ending his professional career, Rudisha, 34, was asked if he would be interested in coaching Indian sprinters and middle-distance runners. Rudisha responded, "Well, after I am done with some level 1 and 2 coaching programmes, yes, I can have a fresh start, and that (coaching) could be an option." For coaches, there are no restrictions. Everybody who wants to learn is welcome since you are acting like a teacher. Rudisha, one of the few track athletes who have won back-to-back Olympic golds, says it's not simple to keep the title, despite what many people think.

Rudisha is in Delhi as the brand ambassador of Sunday's Apollo Tyres New Delhi Marathon. Rudisha said of Chopra's chances of successfully defending his title in Tokyo: "It's been a challenging eight-year road performing in successive Olympics." " My experience tells me that it's not simple to defend (gold), and there are no assurances, given the fact that so many other factors, such as physical health, preparation, etc., also play a significant part. Nonetheless, it is still attainable." The well-known athlete also made it clear that he was not pleased with how Kenya's reputation had been damaged by athletes who chose the simple path of doping to be successful.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) in December of last year banned three prominent Kenyan athletes for a total of eight years for violating anti-doping regulations, adding to the increasing list of runners dishonouring their nation. In fact, the drug problem has gotten so bad that the nation may end up being blacklisted by World Athletics. The soft-spoken Rudisha, a member of the Masai tribe, used extremely critical language to explain how the runners were damaging the nation's reputation. Doping is a significant issue in our nation.

There, it's detrimental to the sport. If I'm not mistaken, Kenya has been at the top of the list for ten years. It's unfortunate that some sportsmen use shortcuts. "I don't understand why they turn to such tactics when they have the skill," They are stealing from others who have worked hard to get to the nation and ruining its reputation in the process. They are unaware that their actions are hurting their own siblings' prospects. The AIU had in December suspended sprinter Mark Otieno for two years as well as marathon runners Alice Jepkemboi Kimutai and Johnstone Kibet Maiyo for three years. Even though Kenya intends to make athletic doping a crime, there doesn't seem to be anything to stop athletes from taking the easy way out.

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Neeraj Chopra: Two time Gold Medallist, On Why Neeraj Chopra Will Find It Tough To Win Defend Olympic Title

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