Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra has urged young athletes to prioritise patience and mental strength, stressing that success in modern sport requires discipline of the mind as much as physical ability.
In a video shared by the Neeraj Chopra Foundation, the Olympic and world champion spoke about the challenges facing the new generation of athletes and the qualities he believes are essential to succeed at the highest level.
“I feel that the athletes who join us should have patience, which is very less nowadays. They should have patience that everything will be done step by step.”
Chopra emphasised that chasing shortcuts can often derail an athlete’s development, saying the focus should instead remain on building a strong foundation and setting a positive example for future generations.
“They should not have a shortcut mindset.”
“Indian sports need athletes who can set an example. So, we have to show a new path to the next generation of Indian sports.,” he said.
Reflecting on the early stages of his own career, Chopra admitted that he initially lacked the broader awareness that young athletes today must cultivate.
“In the beginning, we were only doing sports. We did not know what was happening in the world.”
He added that understanding competitions and preparing for them strategically has become increasingly important for athletes aiming to succeed on the global stage.
“We should know how to do it, how to play competitions, and how to take part in a competition,” Chopra said.
After an unusually challenging 2025 season following years of dominance, which included Olympic and World Championship gold and silver medals among several other titles, Chopra is currently training in Pretoria as he prepares for a packed competitive calendar.
With major events such as the upcoming World Championships, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games on the horizon, the star javelin thrower said his preparation now focuses on maintaining balance between training, recovery and mental conditioning.
“We should take rest and recover from time to time. We did not pay attention to recovery,” he admitted.
He explained that his earlier approach centred almost entirely on intense training sessions. “Earlier, We only focused on training. Our mindset was that if we are working hard, everything is going well.”
Chopra believes developing good habits early in an athlete’s career can significantly accelerate progress and improve performance consistency. “If we make this a habit from the beginning,” he said, “then the delay in our performance and medals can be reduced. We can come up with good performances at a young age if we take care of everything and keep our mind stable.”