New Delhi: Klaus Bartonietz, the venerated German biomechanics expert, was on a flight to Delhi when Neeraj Chopra sent his spear soaring into the Doha night sky last Friday, finally breaching the 90m barrier. Happy and relieved, he texted congratulations to his former ward and quietly moved on to his next assignment. The 76-year-old is currently on a weeklong visit to the Hisar centre of the Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS) where he is training a group of 21 throwers “to become the next Neeraj Chopras”.

“I sent him my wishes for crossing 90 metres and also for being promoted to the rank of (honorary) Lieutenant Colonel. Both are big honours,” he said.

Having trained the Indian javelin ace for five years, from his career-threatening elbow injury in 2019 to last year’s Paris Olympics, Bartonietz has been witness to Chopra’s quest for the 90m throw from the time he took him under his wings as a “young, aggressive thrower who would just run in and throw hard”.

“Back then, he didn’t have a stable stance. He would take the hip off too early. Gradually, he started to feel his throws, stabilise his block, feel his approach. It’s been a great journey.

“And throughout this journey, we kept telling each other, ‘90m is just a number’. But deep down, we knew how badly we wanted it. It puts him in a very elite company, the one where he truly belongs.”

Chopra, Bartonietz informed, once threw 90m with a 700g javelin in a training session leading up to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the duo was confident he would hit the mark at the Games. At the Japanese capital though, 87.58m was enough to make him India’s first track and field Olympic gold medallist.

“You can keep throwing 90m in training, but the stress of competitions is something else. A lot of big throwers crumble in big events, but Neeraj is able to maintain his consistency.”

A year later, Chopra threw 89.94m at the Stockholm Diamond League, agonisingly falling short of the desired mark but reinforcing their confidence. “If you look closely, Neeraj released the javelin a few metres behind the foul line. And so, if you measure his distance from the point of release, it was over 90m. We knew it was only a matter of time,” Bartonietz recalled. Chopra, training under former Czech great Jan Zelezny since the Paris Games, threw 90.23 to finish second in Doha.

The “matter of time” lasted nearly three years with Chopra’s groin niggle flaring up sporadically. Throwing, much like fast bowling, involves unnatural body movements where the twisting action puts tremendous stress on the lower back and groin.

“In javelin, we have to bring the hips around so fast which can cause a groin injury. He first felt discomfort in a session where he felt he was throwing at his best. It’s strange,” Bartonietz said.

Observing his protege from a distance, the German has noticed some “micro changes” in his technique, which still appears a work in progress to him. Even the 90m throw, he analysed, had its imperfections.

“In my opinion, he was a little too straight but the javelin still landed effectively. I feel the javelin was sitting too hard with him; it was not relaxed enough, not controlled enough. That’s because it’s just the start of the season, and Neeraj will only get better.”

Chopra’s first throw in Doha travelled over 88m without him putting any visible stress on his body. However, his pronounced follow-through, where he would allow his body to fall, was missing. In his third attempt, where Chopra nailed the 90m throw, he did fall over but the body stayed in control. Bartonietz isn’t sure which of the two methods work best – “I’ll have to do some research on that” – but he believes Chopra has unlocked the secret to throw far.

“Remember, he is yet to peak this season and he is a firm believer in process. He understands what process got him the desired throw and he will perfect it. There are more 90m throws in him and we can expect them this season itself.

“Men’s javelin is very competitive with almost every thrower capable of hitting 90m. Neeraj’s mental strength along with his ability to go 90m or beyond will give him a big edge in big events.”