Athletics Federation of India President Dr. Adille J. Sumariwalla has said that AFI is currently engaged in the search for a coach to help the consistent Neeraj Chopra raise his game further. This confirmation came after the javelin thrower dropped broad hints that he will soon work with a new coach and start new workouts to try and lift his game to the next level.
Interacting with students, coaches and staff of the Sports University of Haryana in Rai near New Delhi on Friday, the two-time Olympic medallist and two-time World Athletics Championships medallists indicated that he would try and do some different things with a different coach to Dr. Klaus Bartonietz who been working with him for a number of years now.
“Mere jo coach the, woh biomechanics expert the… Coach mujhe detail mein bata tha kitne angle mein throw karna hai, yeh technique mein yeh kami hai… (My coach was a biomechanics expert… He would tell me in detail which angle to throw the javelin at and what were the shortcomings in the technique…),” he responded to a question on the need to incorporate sports science in sport.
It was striking that the two-time Olympic medalist would speak of coach Dr. Klaus Bartonietz in the past tense.
Later, in response to another question about why improvement does not match sincere effort, he dropped a hint about bringing in changes to his own workout plans. He first said he understood the underlying question about his not breaching the 90m mark yet. He said injuries had been a major reason.
“We see many times that we are following the same plan and doing the same work out. It appears to me that I must bring in some change. There was a German Shot Putter who said ‘Don’t expect different results if you are doing the same work.’ I now believe I have to change my workout and my mindset. I think it can make a difference,” he said.
Dr. Sumariwalla revealed that Dr. Bartonietz himself had suggested this move, citing his age and family commitments. “He told us that he had done the best he could for Neeraj. And it was time for Neeraj to work with a coach who could elevate his game further,” the AFI President said, appreciating Dr. Bartonietz’s candour and self-appraisal.
The German was brought in as a biomechanics expert to assist Uwe Hohn when he trained Neeraj Chopra, Dr. Bartonietz. He first helped manage Neeraj’s recovery after an elbow surgery post the 2018 Asian Games and then took over the coach’s mantle. The pair worked together for more than five years and delivered two medals each in the Olympic Games and World Championships.
