Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: As he begins his journey into yet another Olympic cycle, has Neeraj Chopra’s celebrated tryst with foreign coaches come to an end? The new year began with an unexpected announcement for the Indian athletics community, with Chopra deciding to end his short yet fruitful partnership with Czech legend Jan Zelezny, which began in Nov 2024, and instead chose familiarity over form. Childhood coach Jaiveer Singh Chaudhary has returned to his training circle to guide him through his forthcoming season, it was announced.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Chopra’s decision indicated that he would work with an allIndian coaching setup going forward, primarily taking greater control of his playing and professional career. TOI has even learnt that Chopra will no longer look for a foreign expert — something that was felt so vital for his development and domination, till not so long ago — and that the 28-year-old Olympic and world champion’s career will henceforth be managed by Indian coaches. On Wednesday, Athletics Federation of India’s (AFI) selection committee chairman Adille Sumariwalla told TOI that Chopra will begin his season training with Chaudhary and long-time physio Ishaan Marwaha by his side.
“Chopra requested that Chaudhary be attached with him. He was his coach when he began his javelin journey. Chopra said he wasn’t looking to be coached by a foreign expert,” Sumariwalla said.Having been attached as Chopra’s physio since early 2017 when the two were managed by JSW Sports, Marwaha has even joined Chopra in his new venture Vel Sports, an athlete management firm coowned by the javelin thrower.“Chopra understands his body well. He is a champion thrower and knows the requirements of a professional athlete. Having been guided by four foreign coaches on different occasions, Chopra doesn’t feel the need to be mentored by another expert,” the AFI official added.“All I can say is neither the AFI nor Chopra are looking at engaging a foreign coach anytime soon. There are no talks around it. He will be coached by Chaudhary going forward, and the two are already busy in off-season training. Chopra will have Chaudhary and Marwaha as part of his coaching staff,” he said.
Chopra could most likely begin his season with Doha Diamond League on May 8. He is currently training at his regular base in Potchefstroom, for a 32-day off-season camp, which will run until Feb 5.A source familiar with the development said this arrangement could work until the Asian Games in Japan, scheduled from Sept 19-Oct 4 this year, and possibly until the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 if Chopra feels comfortable with the setup.Chopra was coached by three Indian and four foreign coaches in a stellar career. Being coached by relative Chaudharyat in Panipat, he was later trained by Naseem Ahmad as a 13-year-old from 2011 in Panchkula. Later, Chopra shifted his base to NIS Patiala as a national camper under Kashinath Naik.Later he trained under Australian Garry Calvert, Germans Uwe Hohn, Klaus Bartonietz and Jan Zelenzy of Czech Republic (see graphic).A possible reason behind Chopra and Zelezny parting ways, according to a well-placed source, was that the 59-year-old, in addition to coaching the Indian, was also fulfilling his duties as national coach with the Czech Athletics Federation. While Zelezny was accompanying Chopra to training trips and international assignments, the coach was apparently under pressure from the Czech athletics body to also report for national duties and camps. “It was getting difficult to work under such an arrangement,” a source said.
