"It all feels a little surreal"- Kishore Jena on his 2023 and qualifying for the Olympics
As the Olympic year ticks closer, India has found another star in Odisha's Kishore Jena. The javelin-thrower, who now has an Asian Games medal to his name, started the year as just another athlete and ended it as one of the country's most popular track and field faces.
Jena's 2023 started on a high note when he won the Indian Open Throws competition with a personal best of 78.93. That momentum wavered for a bit, but the 28-year-old made a strong comeback in July.
Looking back at it, Kishore Jena was suitably overwhelmed by his achievements and the love he's seen since skyrocketing to the top of his sport.
"Honestly, if you would have told me at the start of the year that I will have such results in the coming months, I wouldn't have believed (you). Having said that, in javelin an improvement of 3-4 meters is not unnatural. So, once I started doing well, I knew I could get in the 85-87m range," Jena told Hindustan Times in an interview m
"It does feel like a dream. Earlier, people barely took note of me, but now there are requests for photographs and autographs. It all feels a little surreal. Credit to my coach and well wishers," he went on to add.
In a season littered with multiple moments of magic, whether it was making the finals at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest after facing visa troubles or finishing second only to India's own Neeraj Chopra in Hangzhou, 2023 has been a busy year for Kishore.
However, when asked to recall a standout moment, the answer was prompt, and not what someone might have expected.
“The turnaround happened in Sri Lanka in July where I threw 84.38m. I was under tremendous pressure going into that event as it was a make-or-break situation. Had I not done well there, I wouldn’t have made the cut for the Budapest Worlds and ultimately the Asian Games medal and Olympics qualification wouldn’t have happened. So for me, the Sri Lankan championships remains the most important performance of the year.”
For now, like every good sportsperson, Kishore Jena is focused on his process without worrying too much about the results and is hopeful for another good day.
"I don’t think we need to do something drastically different. I will just stick to the process and do my best. Who knows, on a good day, something special may happen."
Kishore Jena's coach on what makes him special
For Kishore Jena, a lot of this awe-inspiring rise to the top wouldn't have been possible without his coach Samarjeet Singh Malhi, who spotted the 28-year-old when he was throwing personal bests of 76.41m.
Now, two years into their time together, Malhi insists that none of the results are "miraculous", saying,
"People say it is a miracle, but in sports there are no miracles. This is the result of Jena’s unwavering dedication and commitment to get better."
He went on to add that other than the days taken to travel, and a four-day holiday amidst the athlete's visa troubles for Budapest, Kishore didn't miss a single day of practice.
The coach-athlete duo have worked tirelessly over 2023, changing Kishore Jena's run-up, block, and angle of release, with the hard work paying off. Up next, the two have their eyes locked in on a hopeful podium finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"Of course, Olympics will be our primary goal next year. We now know that Jena can throw in the 87-88m range. In fact, I expected him to throw 88m in Hangzhou. If he manages to consistently throw in that range, he will be a genuine medal candidate in every big meet," Malhi said.
With the Indian athletics season likely to begin early in 2024, fans will avidly wait for Kishore Jena to get back on the field and dazzle them with his magic.