NEW DELHI: India’s star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra predictably won gold in his first competition at home in three years, but he refused to read too much into his below-par 82.27 meter throw as he prepares to defend his Olympic title in Paris.
Chopra began his season with a second place finish at the Diamond League meeting in Doha on Friday and immediately dashed home to compete in the Federation Cup in the east Indian city of Bhubaneswar.
Chopra sealed top of the podium with his forth attempt and did not take the final two throws in his first home event since winning India’s first athletics gold at the Tokyo Olympics.
“I came here after competing in Doha and there was not much recovery time,” Chopra told reporters on Wednesday.
“I competed in this kind of weather after a while. I was not feeling that good ... so I decided to stop after four throws.”
“Let’s not talk about the throw, it was not up to the mark. This one is not my consistent type of throw.”
Asked about his chances of hitting the 90-meter mark, Chopra, who has a personal best of 89.94 meters, said it would come at the right time and at the right place.
The 26-year-old was the center of attention at the home meet.
He did not start the press conference until another event was over, and hung around later to greet fellow athletes and enquire about their training and oblige selfie-seekers.
“It felt great to compete in India after a long time with so many people turning up to support me,” he said.
Chopra is scheduled to compete in the Czech Republic and Finland before defending his Olympic title in Paris.
“It’s going to be really tough competition in Paris,” he said.
“In Doha too, the competition was intense. I have a couple of more events before the Olympics, and will try to throw better.”
India’s Chopra picks up javelin gold in home appearance
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India’s Chopra picks up javelin gold in home appearance
- Chopra began his season with a second-place finish at Diamond League meeting in Doha on Friday
- Chopra scheduled to compete in Czech Republic and Finland before defending Olympic title in Paris
Man United’s Jim Ratcliffe reminded of his responsibilities but no FA charge for ‘colonized’ claim
- Football Association will not be charging Ratcliffe over his comments
- Ratcliffe’s comments touched a nerve in Britain, where immigration is a divisive issue
MANCHESTER: Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe has been reminded of his “responsibilities as a participant in English football” after he triggered a storm of criticism for claiming Britain had been “colonized” by immigrants.
But England’s Football Association will not be charging Ratcliffe over his comments, which were widely condemned by political figures, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and the club’s supporters.
The governing body issued Ratcliffe with a reminder of his responsibilities when taking part in media interviews, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
British billionaire Ratcliffe, who owns petrochemicals giant INEOS, made the comments during an interview with Sky News, which aired last week.
“You can’t have an economy with 9 million people on benefits and huge levels of immigrants coming in,” he said. “I mean, the UK’s been colonized.”
Ratcliffe’s comments touched a nerve in Britain, where immigration is a divisive issue. He later said he was sorry his choice of language had “offended some people.”
Starmer had earlier called for him to apologize, saying “Britain is a proud, tolerant and diverse country.”
United fans, who are proud of the diversity within the team and their supporter base, also condemned his words.
The Manchester United Supporters Trust said the “senior leadership should make inclusion easier, not harder.”
Critics accused Ratcliffe of “hypocrisy,” saying he has chosen to make his home in Monaco to reduce his UK tax bill.
Carrick proud of Man United’s culture
United’s head coach, Michael Carrick, said earlier Friday that the Premier League club was proud of their culture of equality and diversity.
Carrick, who was recently hired as coach until the end of the season, faced the media for the first time since Ratcliffe’s remarks and he was asked for his response.
“Sir Jim has made a statement, and then the club’s made a statement on the back of it so for me to add to that is not my place,” he said. “What I can say is, as I’ve been around this club many, many years, we always make a huge impact globally.
“We’re really proud of the environment and the culture that we’ve got at the club, and equality and diversity and respect for each other is something that we look to carry through every day.”
