Last month, Rohit braved challenging weather conditions to secure the gold medal at the Taiwan Athletics Open with a 74.42m throw. But at the NC Classic, the two-time national champion is hoping to match his season's best throw.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"If there's an 80m mark, I believe I can reach it. The first thing is, you need to be fit to compete. Secondly, I don\u2019t want to aggravate my injury. I'm confident I can produce a personal best throw. My goal is to throw close to my season\u2019s best of 83.40 metres,\" said Rohit ahead of the Neeraj Chopra Classic, a world athletics gold-level event.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"In Taipei, I recorded a throw of 74.40 metres. I was dealing with an injury earlier, so I was being cautious to avoid aggravating it. I spoke to the physio, and he assured me there was no serious issue \u2014 just some tightness. There was a bit of load, so I competed with caution. I had set a target of 70 to 80 metres in Taiwan, so 74.40 was a good result. It was raining there, but overall, it went fine,\" he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sharing about the home advantage in the World Athletics gold-level meet, Rohit said, \"I\u2019ve competed on this ground many times before, so that definitely gives us a bit of an advantage. When the venue changes, things can feel different, but here everything is familiar \u2014 the ground is well-maintained, the facilities are good, and there\u2019s no issue with food and other arrangements. That\u2019s the home advantage \u2014 the comfort and familiarity, and of course, the crowd support.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rohit further said that while many athletes thrive on crowd energy, he finds his rhythm in focus and silence. \"But to be honest, I\u2019m someone who prefers silence. I know most athletes feed off the crowd\u2019s energy, but personally, I like it quiet. If it\u2019s the kind of crowd that claps in rhythm, that\u2019s fine. But when people start shouting randomly, it can feel distracting, like things are out of control. It\u2019s not that I have a problem with the cheering \u2014 I just prefer to stay focused on my throw, regardless of the noise,\" he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sharing about the home advantage in the World Athletics gold-level meet, Rohit said, \"I\u2019ve competed on this ground many times before, so that definitely gives us a bit of an advantage. When the venue changes, things can feel different, but here everything is familiar \u2014 the ground is well-maintained, the facilities are good, and there\u2019s no issue with food and other arrangements. That\u2019s the home advantage \u2014 the comfort and familiarity, and of course, the crowd support.\"<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Neeraj Chopra Classic, co-organised by two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj himself and JSW Sports, and sanctioned by the Athletics Federation of India, is slated to take place on Saturday at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.<\/p>\r\n\r\n