Can Jan Zelezny help Neeraj Chopra cross the elusive 90-metre mark?

Neeraj Chopra’s search for the right mentor who can take him to the next level and help him break the elusive 90-metre barrier - could not have found a better answer. Jan Zelezny, the three-time Olympic champion and world champion javelin thrower - arguably considered as the 'greatest' in his sport - will come on board as Neeraj’s new coach for the 2025 season.  

The double Olympic medallist from India admitted to the need of some fresh thinking in his camp after he parted ways with Klaus Bartonietz – the German bio mechanics expert who doubled up as his coach and the pair had collaborated for an extremely fruitful last five years. However, Bartonietz, now 75 and who had been an ubiquitous presence with Neeraj at competitions around the world, thought it was high time to spend more time with family and announced his retirement earlier this week.

“Growing up, I admired Jan’s technique and precision and spent a lot of time watching videos of him. He was the best in the sport for so many years and I believe that working with him will be invaluable because our throwing styles are similar and his knowledge is unmatched. It’s an honour to have Jan by my side as I push towards the next level in my career, and I can’t wait to get started,” Neeraj said after the announcement as the news created ripples among his fans.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports' Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) will be funding the Czech legend’s salary package and the duo will start work with a winter training camp in South Africa. Zelezny, incidentally, was coach of both other medallists Jakub Vadlejch (silver) and Vítězslav Veselý (bronze) when Neeraj won the gold at Tokyo 2020 and has also coached two-time Olympic Champion and three-time world champion Barbora Špotáková.

Under Železný’s guidance, Neeraj is eager to add variety to his technical mastery and build on the successes that have defined his career. The current year may have seen him winning a silver at Paris Olympics with the only correct throw of 89.45 metres (the remaining five being all fouls), but the groin niggle kept on curtailing his schedule on the road. ‘’Andar abhi bhi bahut throw baki hai’’ (I still have many throws left in me), the 26-year-old said after his Paris campaign – and the recent move shows that the fire rages in him to raise the bar.  

Speaking about their collaboration, Zelezny said: ‘’I have already spoken about Neeraj as a great talent many years ago. When I saw him early in his career, I realised great possibilities for top results. I also said that if I should start to coach somebody from outside Czechia, my first choice would be Neeraj. I like his story and I see big potential, as he is young and able to improve.

 ‘’There have been many athletes contacting me for coaching, so for me to take this up means that it is a great honour to have him in my team. We are getting to know each other more closely and will start in person at a traditional winter camp in South Africa. I believe in his progress, especially in the technical aspect, so that he can continue achieving top positions at the main championships.”

 Železný, a gold medallist at the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games, has five of the top ten best throws of all time and broke the world record on four occasions en route to claiming the current undisputed mark of 98.48m, in Germany, in 1996. The track and field community will be watching every move of this new pair with great interest.