2024-07-17 17:52:28
New Delhi: Asian Games silver medallist javelin thrower Kishore Jena has said that he was on the verge of quitting the sport in 2023 after a string of poor performances. But he followed his father’s advice and managed to make a comeback in his career. Jena admitted that Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics inspired him to achieve more in javelin throw. But he failed to perform effectively and started thinking of quitting the sport before the World Championships in July last year.Big statement by Kishore Jena
Jena said in a release of ‘Jio Cinema’, “When Neeraj won in the Olympics, we celebrated and enjoyed his victory. But honestly, I was also disappointed with that victory because I was also a part of the same game. I felt that it was time for me to achieve something in the game.” He said, “After my ranking dropped, I participated in the Lebanon National Championship and there I was able to throw the javelin only to a distance of 78 meters. Despite giving my all, I could not achieve much. I started doubting whether there is any point in working so hard. I called my father who motivated me to participate in the next competition in Sri Lanka.”
Jena won in Lebanon (on July 21) with an effort of 78.96m which was a modest performance by any standards. Jena did not cross the 80m mark until late 2022. His first throw over 80m came in March 2023 during the Indian Grand Prix in Thiruvananthapuram where he covered a distance of 81.05m.
Jenna had made up her mind to quit the game
He said, ‘I decided that the tournament in Sri Lanka (30 July) would be my last attempt after which I would leave it and give priority to work and family. By the grace of God, I performed well and threw a throw of 84.38 meters which gave me a chance to qualify for the World Championships.’ Jena qualified for the World Championships to be held in Budapest in August 2023 through the world ranking quota. He could not achieve the automatic qualification level of 85.20 meters.
“I also did well at the World Championships, throwing a personal best of 84.77m,” he said. Jena finished fifth in the World Championships final while Chopra won the gold with 88.17m. “I threw another personal best of 87.54m at the Asian Games (in Hangzhou, China where he won a silver medal, finishing second to Chopra) and secured my ticket to Paris 2024. Now I want to do my best in Paris. I am quite confident. Though I have not set any specific target, my aim is to improve my personal best performance,” he said. Jena is currently struggling with poor form as he has crossed the 80m mark only once in the six events he has participated in after the World Championships. He had an effort of 80.84m while winning a bronze medal at the National Inter-State Championships in Panchkula in June which is his best performance of the season so far.