At the Kalinga Stadium, his ‘lucky’ venue, and in the presence of Neeraj Chopra, one of his biggest supporters, triple jumper Praveen Chithravel seems confident of not only qualifying for Paris Olympics but going a step further during the 27th National Federation Senior Athletics Competition here.
“I don’t (want to) think about qualification when I do triple jump. 17.22m is the qualification distance (for Paris Olympics). I want my PB (Personal Best) - 17.37m,” says the 22-year-old Praveen after a training session on the eve of the opening day of the domestic competition.
Federation Cup, which begins on Sunday and ends on Wednesday in the capital of Odisha, is the first domestic competition in three years where Chopra, the Olympic and World Champion in men’s javelin throw, will take part. Ever since his name appeared in the entry list, there has been a certain level of excitement amongst the other athletes, and Praveen is no different.
“This is a good thing for all the Indian athletes. He’s a good inspiration, very kind and respectful. He’s always motivating all the athletes. The whole of India is waiting for him,” he says.
Praveen, who hails from Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, reveals that he always receives a text from Chopra after his events, and the same happened after he won his season-opener - the Indian Grand Prix I in Bengaluru on April 30 - with a jump of 17.12m. “He sent me congratulations and told me to keep going. Every time I finish a competition, he sends me a text. I love it. It’s inspirational,” he says.
“If I lose in a competition, he sends me a message saying, ‘It is okay, bro. You can do more’. When I win, he says, ‘You can do more than your capacity’. He is always a good support,” he adds.
Since the beginning of the Paris Olympics qualification cycle from July 1 last year, IGP-I is the first event where Praveen has crossed the 17m mark. If it wasn’t for his coach - Cuba’s two-time World silver medallist Yoandri Betanzos - he would not have even taken part there.
“The plan was to start the season at the Federation Cup. I was jumping well in training. So, the coach asked why I did not want to participate in the IGP-1 since I was in good condition. We were not fully prepared for the Grand Prix, only about 60-70 per cent. Three-four days before the event, he asked me if I felt good. I said yes. Then, he told me to ‘just go to the competition’ and I did. It was a last-minute decision,” says Praveen, who trains at Bellary’s JSW Inspire Institute of Sport.
Praveen qualified for the Hangzhou Asian Games in his second attempt at the same venue (Kalinga Stadium). He eventually won a bronze medal in China. | Photo Credit: AP
Betanzos, reveals Praveen, has worked a lot on the Indian’s physical and mental training and credits him for the National Record (17.37m) he set last year. “Since this is an Olympic year, he (Betanzos) has changed a lot of things - my running approach and the ‘jump’ phase. Last year, I went to Cuba and met a lot of Olympic medallists. He always tells me to aim higher. Everyone he introduced me to was either an Olympic medallist or had a World Championship medal. It was good motivation. That’s how I did 17.37m in Havana,” he says.
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Last year, at the same venue during the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships, Praveen qualified for the Hangzhou Asian Games in his second attempt. He eventually won a bronze medal in China. This time, however, the stakes are higher, but he has already found an extra dose of motivation.
“On the last day, his (Chopra’s) event and my event are around the same time (triple jump starts an hour earlier). Hope we both will do well,” Praveen signs off.
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