When he is not watching his ward from behind his black glasses, Dr Klaus Bartonietz comes across as a cool and colourful character. The German biomechanics expert took over as Neeraj’s coach from compatriot and former world record holder Uwe Hohn during the youngster’s rehabilitation after an elbow surgery in 2018. Bartonietz’s contract has been extended till the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK from his home in Germany, Klaus talks of Chopra, his strengths, weaknesses, and the plan going forward. Excerpts:
Q\ How would you describe 2022 for you and Neeraj?
A\ It was a late start to the training year (December 2021), but we still got good results after only six months of training. In his first competition this season, Neeraj threw a personal best of 89.30m (he later threw 89.94m). He had stable competition results; he averaged 88.57m in the seven competitions, became world number four, won a medal (silver) at the World Championships and won the Diamond league final. However, not having the big powerful muscles to throw the javelin far caused problems. It became limiting and required a lot of attention.
Q\ How does working with Neeraj compare with your stints with other athletes?
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