Neeraj Chopra parts ways with coach Jan Zelezny
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra and javelin legend Jan Zelezny have mutually agreed to conclude their coaching partnership, which began in late 2024.
Their first competition together, at the 2025 Doha Diamond League, proved momentous. Neeraj crossed the 90-metre mark for the first time in his career, a long-standing barrier finally breached.
Neeraj credited Zelezny with broadening his technical understanding of the event and introducing new ways of thinking about rhythm and movement.
“Working with Jan opened my eyes to so many new ideas. The way he thinks about technique, rhythm, and movement is incredible, and I learned a lot from every single session we had together,” Neeraj said.
Zelezny, a three-time Olympic gold medallist (1992, 1996 and 2000) and three-time world champion (1993, 1995 and 2001), also won Olympic silver in 1988. He holds five of the nine best javelin throws of all time, including the world record of 98.48m. Before joining hands with Neeraj, Zelezny was working with Czech thrower Jakub Vadlejch.
Reflecting on the partnership, Zelezny spoke warmly about both the results and the relationship they built.
“Working with an athlete like Neeraj was a great experience. I’m glad we met and were able to work together, that I got him to break the 90-meter barrier for the first time. Apart from the World Championships, he finished at worst second and that is not a bad record. Unfortunately, the back injury 12 days before Tokyo significantly affected his chances. He has huge potential for the coming years. Our relationship is very positive also on the human side and we will continue to stay in touch, we will definitely meet at some training camp or, for example, on vacation with our families in Europe or India,” Zelezny explained.
Neeraj now plans to take greater control of his coaching direction, drawing on lessons learned from multiple elite mentors.
“I’m looking forward to what 2026 has in store. I started my preparation in early November. As always, the goal is to stay healthy, and I am already excited to be competing again soon,” Neeraj said. “At the same time, I’m especially looking ahead to the year with the World Championships in 2027, and the big goal beyond that is the Olympic Games in 2028.”
Published on Jan 10, 2026