Indian hammer thrower Nirbhay Chaudhary broke the national record at the Indian Athletics Series Final this October, throwing a distance of 71.02 meters. The achievement erased the previous record of 70.73m, set by Neeraj Kumar in 2016. Despite his national-record-breaking performance, Chaudhary was not fully satisfied with his effort and initially considered stepping out of the circle to negate the throw. However, he changed his mind at the last moment and ended up breaking the record. In an exclusive interview with TimesofIndia.com, Chaudhary expressed that he had made the throw casually and did not expect it to be a record-breaking effort. For Chaudhary, whose name means 'fearless', the national record is just the beginning. He aims to cross 75 meters and eventually reach the 80-meter mark.
Chaudhary set a target of 70 + meters on his wall last year when he was going through a difficult phase. Frustrated and angry, he wrote a target on the wall beside his bed, along with a deadline of September 10. He then prepared a training schedule and followed it closely. His routine included waking up early, cleaning his hammer, stretching, working out, running, and practicing his throws with full power. Chaudhay achieved his target on the date he had set. After breaking the national record, he crossed out 70m on the wall and replaced it with 75m.
Chaudhary knows that 71.02 meters is not enough to compete at the biggest international events. Even though his throw was above the Asian Games qualification mark of 69.12m, he missed the opportunity to compete at the Asian Games because of the timing of the qualification process and the deadlines involved. Chaudhary believes that Indian hammer throw needs to improve its standards. While athletes in other events have raised their levels, he wants to bring the same change to hammer throw. He aims to take hammer throw forward in India and raise the standard of the event.
Chaudhary's ultimate dream is to represent India at the Olympics and win a medal. However, he acknowledges that there is still a long way to go before reaching that goal. But with determination and hard work, Chaudhary believes he can achieve his dreams.