Neeraj Chopra sends emotional message to retiring coach Klaus Bartonietz

In a heartfelt message and video, Neeraj Chopra announced that he would be seperating from his longtime coach Klaus Bartonietz, who will be heading back to Germany and retire. Bartonietz oversaw Neeraj's meteoric rise in javelin throw.

In Short

• The German coach will be heading back home and retiring
• Bartonietz oversaw Neeraj's gold medal win in Tokyo Olympics
• Neeraj and Bartonietz came together in 2019

In a heartfelt farewell, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra announced his separation from long-time coach Klaus Bartonietz, who is retiring and returning to Germany. Their partnership has been marked by remarkable achievements, including Neeraj's historic gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, another Olympic medal, two Asian Games golds, and a World Championship title.

It was reported in October by PTI that Bartonietz had expressed his interest in ending the successful partnership with Neeraj and head back home. The 75-year-old had cited his age and family commitments to part ways with the Indian Javelin star. Neeraj would take to X and hailed Bartonietz as more than a mentor to him.

The javelin star said that thanked the German coach for standing by him during his injuries and lows in his career so far. Neeraj would say that he would miss them as a team and ended his message with wishing Bartonietz happy retirement. The 26-year-old also added a heartwarming video showing the journey of both men as a team on his X account as well.

"I write this without knowing where to begin. Coach, you are more than just a mentor to me. Everything you taught has helped me grow both as an athlete and person. You have gone out of your way to make sure I was mentally and physically prepared for every competition. You stood by me through injury."

"You were there through the highs, and you were there even more through the lows. You were one of the quietest in the stands, but your words to me rang the loudest in my ears when I threw. I will miss the pranks and the laughs we shared, but more than anything, I will miss US as a team. Thank you for being a part of my journey. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of yours."

"Happy retirement, coach," said Neeraj on X.

The 75-year-old Bartonietz first joined the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) in 2019 as a biomechanical expert. He became Chopra's coach after a fallout between the athlete and his former mentor, Uwe Hohn, and the AFI. Bartonietz’s final event with Chopra was the Diamond League final in Brussels earlier this year, where Chopra placed second.