‘I have a good chance of throwing 65m in Tokyo’, says Asian Games javelin champion Annu Rani

Having achieved 62m-plus throws in two different time zones and climates within three days despite jet lag, Asian Games champion javelin thrower Annu Rani is bubbling with confidence in the run-up to the World Athletics Championships in Japan.

Annu, who did her season best of 62.59m in Poland last week before going past the 60m mark twice at the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze event at the Kalinga Stadium here on Sunday, including the winning throw of 62.01m, hoped to go past 64m in Japan in a month’s time.

“This boosts my confidence a lot, because competing continuously in fatigue and doing 62m twice is a great achievement. If I’m doing 62m-plus back-to-back, then I have a good chance of doing 64-65m,” said Annu.

“I was getting a little too aggressive and was not following the technique so much. The coach told me to calm down, relax and pay attention to the technique. I did the same and got a very good throw.”

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The 32-year-old was pleased with the crowd support. “I felt good. There was a bit of pressure, too. There was so much love from the people. It was fun. I have never enjoyed a competition so much. The moment you came on the runway, the crowd started cheering for you. It was the best moment of my life.”

Annu, who is set to improve her world ranking of 30th place to qualify for the Worlds, acknowledged that she needed to guard against injuries.

The Asian Games champion, who trained in Europe for three weeks, said she would now focus on her technique. “Whenever I throw, it’s usually at a high angle. I’ll have to keep it front-on. The other area is my run-up. I’ll have to make it fast and smooth,” said Annu.