Coach Klaus Bartonietz backs Neeraj to hit 90m more often

Klaus Bartonietz, the venerated German biomechanics expert, was on a flight to Delhi when Neeraj Chopra sent his spear soaring into the Doha night sky last Friday, finally breaching the 90m barrier.

- Shantanu Srivastava

NEW DELHI: Happy and relieved, he texted congratulations to his former ward and quietly moved on to his next assignment. The 76-year-old is currently on a week-long visit to the Hisar centre of the Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS) where he is training a group of 21 throwers "to become the next Neeraj Chopras".

"I sent him my wishes for crossing 90 metres and also for being promoted to the rank of (honorary) Lieutenant Colonel. Both are big honours," he said.

Having trained the Indian javelin ace for five years, from his career-threatening elbow injury in 2019 to last year's Paris Olympics, Bartonietz has been witness to Chopra's quest for the 90m throw from the time he took him under his wings as a "young, aggressive thrower who would just run in and throw hard".

"Back then, he didn't have a stable stance. He would take the hip off too early. Gradually, he started to feel his throws, stabilise his block, feel his approach. It's been a great journey.

"And throughout this journey, we kept telling each other, '90m is just a number'. But deep down, we knew how badly we wanted it. It puts him in a very elite company, the one where he truly belongs."