"Delighted to meet new and old athletes": Neeraj Chopra at AFI awards ceremony

New Delhi [India], June 21 (ANI): Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra expressed happiness over the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) Awards ceremony, saying it offered an opportunity to meet both veteran athletes and emerging talent, while also marking a positive start to his competitive season.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event, Chopra said he was satisfied with his performance and remains focused on delivering stronger results as the season progresses.

“We are happy that the Athletics Federation of India gave this opportunity to everyone. We were delighted to meet old athletes and new talents… I am really happy with my performance and this was the year’s first competition, the entire season remains, so I hope for better stages,” he said.

The inaugural AFI Awards function brought together some of the country’s leading track and field athletes and officials, recognising their contributions and achievements in the sport.

Meanwhile, sprinter Gurindervir Singh also shared his views on the event, expressing satisfaction with both the recognition extended to athletes and his own performance trajectory.

He said he was happy with his progress and that his primary focus had been on the Asian Games rather than targeting any specific record.

“I have high expectations of myself; I am training well and aim to deliver strong results. I am also very happy about this evening’s event; the Athletics Federation invited us and gave us a reason to feel proud. My intention is to perform well in the upcoming Games and bring glory to India… My primary goal was actually the Asian Games; breaking this specific record wasn’t my main objective. I wasn’t specifically trying to beat a time record or set a new one–it just happened organically because I was achieving my training targets and performance benchmarks much faster than anticipated. It wasn’t part of the original plan, but it happened,” he said.

Neeraj Chopra was honoured with the ‘Best Male Athlete of the Year 2025’ award at the inaugural Athletics Federation of India (AFI) Awards function on Saturday.

Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya presented the award to the star javelin thrower, who recently began his 2026 season by securing qualification for the upcoming Commonwealth Games after comfortably breaching the qualification at the Doha Diamond League on Friday.

While receiving the award, Neeraj had a message for the youth to keep working hard in their field and stay patient. He also spoke on how Indians feel that European and American athletes are stronger, but he feels that “Indians have the capability within them to achieve anything.”

“My only advice is to keep working hard on the field and remain patient. Never rush things, because you have your entire career ahead of you. Stay safe from injuries, always listen to your team, and believe in yourself. The biggest thing is that we Indians think that Europeans or Americans are stronger, but I feel we have the capability within us to achieve anything. As you can see, we are performing so well, and I believe there is a whole career ahead. Just have faith and patience, and amazing things will happen,” he said.

Neeraj finished fourth in the Doha Diamond League yesterday, marking his first competition of the 2026 season. The 28-year-old, who had missed the last eight months due to a back injury, registered a foul throw on his first attempt but eventually found his groove to get a throw of 85.69 metres, finishing fourth in what was a mixed bag return to competitive sport for him.

Speaking about his comeback, Chopra expressed satisfaction at being back in action and said he was looking forward to improving further as the season progresses.

“Got to compete after so long, and it was a good throw. There is a lot of year remaining, and I will do better,” he said. (ANI)

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