Neeraj Chopra's advice was big boost for Manu before qualifying round says the coach
The 23-year-old Javelin thrower has already created history by earning qualification for the finals of the Javelin in the ongoing World Championship in Budapest. The three Indian javelin throwers- Neeraj Chopra, D.P Manu, and Kishore Jena reaching the finals of the World Championship altogether has been a rare statistic in the history of Indian athletics.
But Manu’s coach Kashinath Naik, a former medal-winner in the Commonwealth Games and Asian Championship revealed, that Manu is not at all jubilant after reaching the finals.
Kashinath Naik an expert javelin coach who has been in the trade for the last 11 years, said while speaking to Parallel Sports from Pune, "Before the qualifying rounds and after reaching the finals he called me. He was absolutely normal. I also told him only one sentence 'enjoy' your event. You do not need to look at others and think of medals. Try to deliver your best and increase the distance.”
Manu will compete in the final on Sunday at midnight (according to Indian time). He threw 81 meters in the qualifying round to earn the sixth spot, the same distance that he threw with his javelin in the Asian Championship last month in Bangkok to earn qualification for the ongoing World Championship.
Simultaneously, Naik did not forget to share another significant information saying, “Before the qualifying round Neeraj gave some priceless tips to Manu and that became a big motivation for Manu.”
Commenting on Manu's chances in the final, the 43-year-old coach said, "The competition is tough. I will be happy if he can finish within the top six." But Naik feels Manu has the potential to throw the javelin more than 86 meters.
The boy from Hassan, Karnataka was keen to continue with volleyball during his school days. Along with volleyball he also used to play javelin and cricket and other games. As his father was a farmer he did not have much financial comfort in his everyday life. After starting javelin, he liked it and watched YouTube videos of World record holder Zan Zelezny to develop interest. But he did not have a javelin and used bamboo sticks while throwing at a local ground near his home.
The situation changed a little when represented his school in the Khelo India Games in the under-21 category he threw 66 meters and drew the attention of Naik who also was the coach of national javelin throwers including Neeraj Chopra from 2013 to 2019.
Following Naik’s advice Manu shifted his base to Army Sports Club in Pune to start training under Naik, an employee of the Indian Army. That was 2019.
Naik remembered, “He threw 66 meters in the Khelo India Games. He had all the basic qualities like aggression, strength, inner explosiveness. Then I spotted him and brought him from Karnataka to Pune.”
The scenario changed a lot after Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and it gave huge boosts to the javelin throwers including Manu.
He crossed the 80-meter mark, throwing 82.43 meters in the Indian Grand Prix in Thiruvananthapuram, and then threw a massive personal best of 84.35m to win the Inter-State championships in Chennai. He earned fifth spot in the Commonwealth Games last year.
Naik who is also on a mission to produce a few world-class javelin throwers in the future, sounded optimistic commenting that Manu has a chance to win medals in the Asian Games this year. Still, before the Games, Naik will repeat the same sentence to Manu “enjoy your event and deliver the best.”
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Dalene Lienhop
Nov 6, 2024 | 10:19 AMHi parallelsports.in admin, Your posts are always well-delivered and engaging.