"Neeraj Chopra's gold at Tokyo Olympics brought a sense of self-belief" - Tajinderpal Singh Toor on Indian athletes' mindset at major events
India's two-time Asian Games gold medalist Tajinderpal Singh Toor has credited Neeraj Chopra for changing Indian athletes' mindset going into mega events. The shot putter was speaking on Saturday ahead of the TCS World 10K Bengaluru.
According to Toor, Chopra's gold at the Tokyo Olympics has given Indian athletes greater self-belief.
"Ever since Neeraj Chopra’s gold at the Tokyo Olympic Games, it’s brought a sense of self-belief where each one of us is not just going to the games to participate, but we are going there to win a medal," the 29-year-old said.
Toor then cited the World Championships results from last year to elaborate his point.
"I think that’s the shift in mindset today. We don’t think of ourselves any lesser than top global athletes we compete with. Look at the results in the World Championships (2023), we had Neeraj and Kishore Jena finish on the podium. We also had DP Manu enter the final in the same event (women's division)," he added.
Tajinderpal Singh Toor won his second gold medal at the Asian Games last year in Hangzhou. He currently holds the Asian record in the event with his personal best of 21.77.
He will need a substantial improvement to that number to be in medal contention in Paris. The current World No. 1 in men's shot put and reigning Olympic champion Ryan Crouser has a personal best of 23.56.
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the bronze medal winner - Tomas Walsh of New Zealand - achieved a distance of 22.47. Considering all this, it would be an uphill challenge for the man from Moga, Punjab, to reach the podium in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Joshna Chinnappa excited by inclusion of squash in Los Angeles 2028 Olympics roster
India's ace squash player Joshna Chinnappa was also present on the occasion and spoke about her own sport and its eventual inclusion in the Olympics.
For the former Commonwealth Games gold medalist, the presence of squash in the list of sports for the Los Angeles Olympics is a great morale booster.
"I think it is very exciting that squash will be in the Olympics. To be honest, it should have been there many years ago," she opined.
"It is definitely a motivator for me to really look after my body, choose my tournaments wisely, and train smarter, to be able to compete with the young a lot. It is going to be quite an uphill task, but it is there in my mind," the 37-year-old added.
It would take a major feat of resilience and durability for Chinnappa to make it to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. But it is better than having no hope of representing your country at the Summer Games.