Olympic javelin champion sprint training video goes viral

The reigning Olympic javelin champion and most-followed current track and field athlete on Instagram, Neeraj Chopra, went viral on Wednesday after uploading a video where he can be seen performing sprints and drills before practice.

Watching Olympic Champion @Neeraj_chopra1 warm up is a good reminder that the javelin is just as much a runaway event as a throwing event.

PS- Maybe the prettiest Carioca drill you'll ever see at the 20 sec mark🤌 pic.twitter.com/iWcin8ZZ8x

— Beau Throws (@beau_throws) January 3, 2023

The Twitter video has garnered more than 600,000 views and almost 20,000 likes, thanks partly to four-time U.S. Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson sharing it on his page. “He’s a javelin thrower! Olympic champion javelin thrower! But a javelin thrower with movement like a jumper/sprinter!” tweets Johnson.

The 25-year-old thrower from India replied to Johnson, “Now that I have your approval, I’ll be checking the sprint calendar for the 2023 season.”

In the video, Chopra can be seen practising the kind of static stretch drills that a sprinter typically do would before a race. One Twitter user responded, “Maybe the prettiest Carioca drill I’ve ever seen.”

The thrower also showcased a few 30- to 40-metre strides. Although he has never officially run the 100m, it’s clear Chopra has the athleticism, strength and explosiveness to run a decent time.

'Neeraj throws things' 🤣

Reigning men's javelin Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian 🇮🇳 track and field athlete to win Olympic gold.

Let's see how far this record breaker can throw different objects we give him.@Neeraj_chopra1 I @weareteamindia pic.twitter.com/m0XKKcds2s

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) January 3, 2023

Chopra is the first track and field athlete from India to win Olympic gold. He carved his name into the history books again last year, becoming the second Indian athlete to win a silver medal at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene.

Multiple athletes replied to Johnson’s tweet, praising his athleticism, including retired Welsh shot-putter Shaun Pickering, who shared another video of Chopra with a shot put, commenting on his unique flexibility.

He practices all kinds of movement patterns… Check out his flexibility! He focuses on stretch reflex rather than strength. @Neeraj_chopra1 pic.twitter.com/w11fJqcjb5

— Shaun Pickering (@ShaunDPickering) January 4, 2023

Chopra is the most popular field athlete in the world on social media, boasting over seven million followers on Instagram and Twitter combined.

Many of the world’s top throwers train similarly to track athletes to help with their conditioning, power and speed. In the November 2022 issue of Canadian Running, world silver medallist Camryn Rogers and Commonwealth Games champion Sarah Mitton reveal how throwers use running to boost their training.