“I want to give my best at Paris” - Kishore Jena eager to improve his personal best at Paris Olympics 2024
Indian javelin thrower Kishore Jena is aiming to improve his personal best at the forthcoming Paris Olympics. The Asian Games silver medallist, Jena made it to the Summer Games after achieving his personal best throw of 87.54 in Hangzhou, China.
During his interaction with Jio Cinema’s ‘The Dreamers’ episode, Kishore got candid, revealing how he took up the sport, how Neeraj Chopra inspired him to take up javelin, his aim for Paris 2024, and much more.
Jena registered his then-personal best throw of 84.77m at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in August 2023, finishing fifth. Then in October 2023, he bagged the silver medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, with a personal best throw of 87.54m.
“At the world championships, I performed well and achieved a personal best of 84.77m. I followed it up with another personal best at the Asian Games 2023 (87.54m), which secured me a ticket to the Paris Olympics. Now, I want to give my best at Paris,” Kishore Jena told Jio Cinema.
“I've not set any personal targets” - Kishore Jena
Though the Odisha-born javelin thrower doesn’t have any personal targets for the mega event in Paris, he would still be aiming to improve his personal best, which may propel him to finish on the podium.
“I follow my coach's instructions. Earlier, my runway was 17-18m. My coach advised me to lengthen my runway to 27-28m. I also have changed my technique. I am quite confident but I've not set any personal targets. I am aiming to improve my personal best,” he added.
Regrettably, Kishore Jena failed to impress with a throw of 75.49m in the recently concluded Federation Cup in Odisha. Additionally, he also struggled at the Doha Diamond League 2024, finishing in the ninth position with a throw of 77.31 meters.
Jena also discussed the initial days of his sporting career and how his throw in Sri Lanka changed his career. Just when he thought of quitting the sport, he threw a 84.38m in Sri Lanka, which fueled his hopes to excel.
“I decided the event in Sri Lanka would be my last event and I would quit and go back to work and look after my family. The event in Sri Lanka was the turning point in my life and With god's grace, I produced a throw of 84.38 which led to qualification for world championships,” Kishore stated.