Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra completes training camp at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ (VIDEO)

India’s Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra has completed a winter training camp at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ.

The 25-year-old javelin thrower spend two months on campus across the University’s world-class facilities, including Powerbase gym, the High Performance Athletics Centre (HiPAC), and the Elite Athlete Centre and Hotel.

During his time in º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, Neeraj was joined by his support team (coach Klaus Bartonietz), and worked closely with the University’s Head Throws Coach, David Turner.

Chopra underpinned his status as one of India’s most successful athletes after throwing 87.58m at the Tokyo Olympic Games. This score saw him become the first Indian Olympian to win a gold medal in athletics.

Speaking to º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Sport, Neeraj reflected on his time at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ: “Because of the world-class environment, every athlete here is doing good and training hard. Because of the good groups here, we also feel very motivated and try our hardest.”

He also shared his thoughts on his gold-medal-winning throw in Japan: “I think it’s a dream for every athlete to win a medal in the Olympics, and gold is the highest dream. Everyone in India was celebrating and when I went home after Tokyo, there were thousands of people in the airport.”

Steve Backley OBE, the former javelin world record holder who also recently visited º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, said: “Neeraj Chopra has been a sensation. He's taken the javelin world by storm, he’s a very approachable, and a very likable character. 

“To have him here in º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ as a current role model – sharing of best practice – has had a huge impact. If you get around good people, good things happen.”

Find out more about Neeraj Chopra’s visit through º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s YouTube video.

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: 23/28

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2022 QS World University Rankings – the sixth year running – and University of the Year for Sport by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2022.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is ranked 7th in The UK Complete University Guide 2023, 10th in the Guardian University League Table 2023 and 11th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’, and in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 over 90% of its research was rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally-excellent’. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes

The º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.

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