For Neeraj Chopra's coach Klaus Bartonietz, it’s about putting mind over body

NEW DELHI: Neeraj Chopra completed his golden Grand Slam late on Sunday night after scripting history — he won the World javelin throw gold with an impressive throw of 88.17m in his second attempt in Hungary’s Budapest.Neeraj’s journey from a promising javelin thrower with back-to-back Commonwealth and Asian Games crown in 2018 to becoming a legend of the discipline — with Tokyo Olympics gold, Diamond League Final title and now the World gold — was remarkably influenced by German biomechanics expert, Dr Klaus Bartonietz, who began training the 25-year-old in late 2019 after succeeding his countryman Uwe Hohn.Bartonietz has followed a simple philosophy when imparting coaching to Neeraj. The German believes in a famous saying of America’s National Football League (NFL) coach, Vince Lombardi, who used to tell his wards during training sessions that “it’s not just practice that makes one perfect, but it’s perfect practice that makes one perfect”.For Bartonietz, it is never about putting in countless hours training Neeraj, but about perfecting the art of javelin throw with structured coaching, balanced nutrition, minor technical tweaks and use of sports science to not only improve his overall performance but keep the Indian javelin’s poster boy injury-free as well.Neeraj has trained under many coaches since his childhood – Jaiveer Singh, Naseem Ahmad, Kashinath Naik, Werner Daniels, Gary Calvert and Hohn. But the impact Bartonietz has had on Neeraj’s meteoric rise to the top is exceptional. No wonder the coach’s contract has been extended till the Paris Olympics 2024.“Neeraj is hard working, focused, disciplined, determined and a go-getter. This is what you need in a world-class athlete and this is what makes Neeraj the world beater in javelin throw. His attention to detail is second to none. He has this attitude in him to become the best in what he does,” Bartonietz had said recently.Neeraj has matured over the years and has started believing in the concept of putting ‘mind over body’. Unlike some Indian athletes who hide their injuries and compete in international competitions half-fit, Neeraj isn’t afraid of revealing his bodily pains and sitting out of events. He did so during the time of the Birmingham CWG last year, or more recently at the World Athletics Continental Tour gold label competitions before making a successful return from abductor muscle strain to clinch the world title.It has also helped Neeraj that he has managed to keep himself away from off-field distractions which follow a top-class Indian athlete in the country by focusing on training abroad in European locations with funds provided by the government. Be it the UK, Turkey, South Africa, Germany or shifting his training base to Switzerland’s Magglingen before the Worlds, Neeraj stayed away from limelight and media glare.“We have always preferred to train abroad, especially in Europe, because most of his competitions happen there. The Olympic centres are world-class and several top athletes train there round-the-year. Even in case of injuries, the recovery is faster,” Bartonietz had explained the decision to train away from India.