World Championships: 'Very close' to breaking the 90m-mark,' says Neeraj Chopra after winning silver

Neeraj Chopra on Sunday said he was "very close" to breaching the 90m-mark after winning silver at the World Athletics Championships.

Chopra became the first Javelin player from India to win a medal at the World Championships, and overall, he was just the second Indian to win a medal at the prestigious tournament after long jumper Anju Bobby George.

The Olympic medallist started the event with a foul throw, which was followed by 82.39m and 86.37m. It was finally in the fourth attempt when he recorded the distance of 88.13m, which eventually won him the silver medal at the World Championships on Sunday in Oregon.

Grenada's Anderson Peter won Gold with his throw of 90.54m, while Czech Republic's Jakub Vadljech won Bronze with an 88.03m throw.

Chopra came to close to breaching the 90m mark when he broke his own national record with an 89.94m throw at the Stockholm Diamond League. He had thrown 89.30m in May at the Paavo Nurmi Games and the Indian star was tipped to go past 90m at the World Championships in Eugene, USA.

However, Chopra failed to touch the 90m-mark yet again as he stated that the conditions in Eugene on Sunday were difficult with the wind coming from the front.

"I started my training a little late after the Olympics. I worked on my release angles and I utilized my time well. The good thing is that the throws this year have been very consistent. Yes, the 90m mark has not been breached yet, but I am very close to it," Chopra told India Today in an interview.

"I am feeling in every competition that yes, it will happen this time. I have left it up to fate now, if it comes, it will come one day, I just need to be consistent.

"It was quite windy today, and it was a new experience for me inside the stadium. But I kept improving my throws throughout, but during the fourth throw, I felt pain in my groin, so I could not go through everything in the last couple of throws. But I am happy with what I have done. I learned new things during the competition, and it was a good experience overall," Chopra added in the same interview.

Now Chopra will turn his focus to the Commonwealth Games 2022, which are scheduled to begin on July 28 at Alexander Stadium, Birmingham, UK.

When reporters asked the Javelin star about his preparations for the upcoming big tournament, Chopra replied," Now there is no time to strengthen the preparations for the event, because now whatever I have preparation is there, it is enough to perform well in Games. I will give my best in Commonwealth Games."

Chopra has a Gold medal at Commonwealth Games, which he clinched in 2018 in Australia with an 86.47m throw.