Didn’t know which peak Neeraj would reach — Everest or K2: Coach Klaus Bartonietz

PARIS: They share a very sacred bond: Olympic silver medallist Neeraj Chopra and his coach Klaus Bartonietz. Almost like father and son. They spent more than nine months together training and competing. They travelled from one centre to another. Klaus, like a saint, has been guiding Neeraj in his sporting ventures. For the record, the 26-year-old’s physio, Ishaan Marwah, is the third member.

Between the men’s javelin final and the qualification, Klaus and Marwah tried to keep Neeraj calm. They usually try to keep both the body and the mind active. At the same time, they would not want him to stress about the final. “We tried to keep him calm,” said Klaus. What helped was Neeraj was no longer a novice and he knew his body well. “He is experienced and is aware of his body,” said Klaus.

The coach also makes as many sacrifices as the athlete. The German, 74, is missing home and would ideally want to spend time with his grandchildren. He, however, has not gone home since last November, just like Neeraj. The German biomechanics specialist doesn’t mind living in the shadow of his illustrious ward. He goes incognito most times, content with what he delivers through Neeraj on the field. He is the invisible hand of fate that drives Neeraj’s destiny. He meticulously draws up the training routine and also decides the calendar. He keeps him motivated.

The coach was on the sidelines at the Stade de France, just behind where Neeraj began his run on Thursday. There was only one legitimate throw and he was not very happy. But then Olympic silver is Olympic silver. It is a big deal and he felt it must be acknowledged. It’s not easy to win a medal at the biggest stage when all your peers breathe down your neck. The pressure of the final is cruel.

The two had come together in the later part of 2019, when Neeraj was on the verge of breaking down, both mentally and physically. The routine he was following led to an elbow injury that threatened his career.

Klaus is a bit different. He loves to read and keeps to himself most of the time. He speaks in riddles and alludes to history, science, even speaks about quantum mechanics. He hates to brag and is a perfect foil for Neeraj. When it comes to temperament, Klaus is similar to Neeraj. He never cries for recognition. The coach sounded relaxed after the intense javelin throw final.

Neeraj Chopra with his coach Klaus Bartonietz (right) and physio Ishaan Marwah (left)

The target had always been the Olympic gold but was not overtly spoken like other throwers. He said that the journey 2023-24 had been very exciting and an adventurous one too. Speaking metaphorically, he said that it was “adventurous because we did not know which peak we would reach – Mt Everest or Mt K2.” Neeraj, despite his season’s best effort of 89.45m, finished behind Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who had a humongous 92.97m throw (an Olympic record).

Neeraj comes across as a modest person who doesn’t speak loudly about his ambitions. Like his coach says, he likes to keep to himself. “Of course, the target was defending gold,” he said.

The plan now is to have a short recovery and Neeraj may compete at the Diamond League final. But that needs to be ascertained by his team. Recovery will be key, especially after Neeraj had spoken about his fragile adductor that had been troubling him for a while. Klaus, however, did not want to go into specifics of the injury.

An avid reader, he is right now reading Russian author Tutevich’s bible of the throws, a manual on mechanics/biomechanics of the four throwing events.

Klaus has a simple training regimen. He tries to work on technique and has also been working on Neeraj’s mind. The idea is to keep the brain going. It is not always physical. If one has to perform well, he believes he or she has to be strong mentally. But the thing that he would want from his athlete is to enjoy the sport. “If you enjoy, you can excel,” he has told The New Indian Express several times.

Though Neeraj’s team had been discussing groin surgery, that has not been finalised yet.