Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra has appointed javelin throw legend Jan Zelezny as his new coach ahead of the 2025 season. The former Czech athlete is a World and Olympic champion. He is also the world record holder with a throw of 98.48m.
Following the appointment, Neeraj said, “Growing up, I admired Jan’s technique and precision and spent a lot of time watching videos of him.”
“He (Zelezny) was the best in the sport for so many years and I believe that working with him will be invaluable because our throwing styles are similar and his knowledge is unmatched,” he added.
Zelezny will join Neeraj in South Africa for a 31-day training camp, starting later this month. Neeraj will train with Zelezny for the next two years and not the entire Olympic cycle.
Meanwhile, Zelezny said, “We are getting to know each other more closely and will start in person at a traditional winter camp in South Africa. I believe in his progress, especially in the technical aspect, so that he can continue achieving top positions at the main championships.”
Neeraj’s long-time coach Dr Klaus Bartonietz recently announced his retirement due to age.
Jan Zelezny: Achievements
Zelezny is widely regarded by many as the greatest javelin thrower of the modern athletics era, and he has the fourth, fifth and sixth best performances of all time. The 58-year-old broke the world record a total of four times.
He was born in Mlada Boleslav, Czechoslovakia. Zelezny won silver at the 1988 Olympics, and gold at the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics. He also won the World Championship titles in 1993, 1995 and 2001.
He set the world record of 98.48m, which he achieved in 1996 and the World C’ships record of 92.80m, bagged in 2001. In 1997, he registered over the 90m barrier five times in a single meet. Until September 2020, he was the only athlete to throw more than 95m with the new type of javelin, which he did three times during his career.
He retired on September 19, 2006, after an exhibition in Mlada Boleslav, where he began his career. He is a former coach of Vitezslav Vesely and Barbora Spotakova.
