Ahmedabad: Newly-crowned National Games gold medallist Manu DP knows his limitations. He admits he has a long way to go before joining the elite brigade of javelin throwers, that includes reigning Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra and his Pakistani counterpart Arshad Nadeem.
Nadeem recently pipped Chopra as the second Asian and 23rd in the world to hurl the javelin past the magic mark of 90m. The Pakistani thrower achieved the milestone at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where he clinched Gold, with a Games record effort of 90.18m.
India, however, returned empty-handed in the absence of Chopra, who had pulled out due to a groin injury. The two new Indian throwers at the event, Manu and Rohit Yadav, finished fifth and sixth with best efforts of 82.28m and 82.22m, respectively.
For the 22-year-old Manu, his performance in Birmingham was never about shattering any records. He boarded the flight to Birmingham with the simple idea of giving his best at his maiden international meet.
“This (CWG) was my first major international tournament, it was a great learning experience. My effort was nowhere near what Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem achieved. I did not go with the baggage of eclipsing any record, the plan was simple, I wanted to give my best as I know Apna bhi time ayega (My time will also come),” he said in an exclusive chat with EastMojo.
Left to train all by himself in the absence of his Services coach Kashinath Naik, Manu admitted to being clueless in Birmingham, as all he could afford was a video call to the 2010 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist posted at the Army Institute of Sports (ASI), Pune.
“What I missed most at the CWG was the absence of my coach. There was no one to guide me during training, all I could do was a video call with my coach to discuss my strategies. For me, coach Naik sir’s advice is the final word,” he said.
“Also the absence of Neeraj Bhai at the CWG was a big blow for us. Arshad did speak to me during training, he advised me to give my best,” recalled the youngster from Hassan in Karnataka.
“Neeraj Bhai also messaged me ahead of the CWG and advised me to express myself. He has been the biggest motivation for all the junior throwers. It feels special that Neeraj Bhai is from India and he has achieved so much. His feats challenge us to give our best in every effort,” said Manu.
At the 36th National Games, Manu fetched the gold with a rather below-par throw of 80.74m. Below-par by his standards, as the thrower has already achieved 84.35m at the Inter-State Senior Athletic Championships in June. One look at the javelin throwers’ records in India suggests his effort is the fourth best behind only Chopra (89.94m), Shivpal Singh (86.23m) and Davinder Singh Kang (84.57m).
“This effort wasn’t the best,” he admitted before adding, “During training, I consistently get 80+ throws, it is a vast improvement from last year. For the National Games, the body was loaded (more intake of protein and supplements), and the weather here was demanding.”
“The goal is to throw over 85m in the new season, I have already thrown 84.35m at Inter-state Nationals, before the 82.28m at the Commonwealth Games,” he said.
Training technique
Most athletes prefer to warm themselves up on the eve of every competition. For Manu, however, it’s all about spending time on screen, watching videos of Neeraj and the other world record holders.
“I watch a lot of videos of myself, Neeraj and a few record holders, a day before any competition,” he said.
On being asked to point out any similarities in his technique with the other throwers, Manu explained, “There is a slight difference in our crossover technique, both Neeraj and Rohit (Yadav) get their rhythm in three steps before the final delivery, me and Shivpal (Yadav) take four steps.”
He further said, “Most throwers take three steps internationally, but it all differs from throwers to throwers. It is a technique to control your speed, and maintain the rhythm.”
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