Anderson Peters, the 2019 World javelin champion, is thankful that the Olympics were postponed from 2020 because of the pandemic as it means he now has a legitimate shot at winning a medal, perhaps gold, when the Games convene in Tokyo, Japan this coming summer.
Peters, who at 23, is already a two-time NCAA champion, Pan American champion, NACAC champion and World Champion, wants an Olympic title to add to his burgeoning trophy case. However, had the Olympics been held in 2020 as scheduled, he might have had to wait until 2024.
During his preparation for the 2019 World Championships in Doha, the Grenadian injured his knee in training and was forced to battle through the discomfort to pull off the surprise win in Doha. He told Sportsmax.TV that immediately following the World Championships, an MRI on his knee revealed the extent of the damage.
“I had bone splinters around the knee and some were even poking into the muscles surrounding my knee,” he said.
He underwent corrective surgery on October 17, 2019, and says he is now fully recovered.
“Training is going good,” said Peters who trains at Mississippi State University under Coach Paul Phillips.
“I have been putting up numbers that I never have before. I am stronger but the task is now on me and my coach to transition that strength into my throws.”
Without the postponement of the Olympic Games, he said, he would not have had enough time to recover from the surgery. Now that he has, he is looking forward to competing against the likes of Johannes Vetter, the 2017 world champion, who threw an incredible 97.76m, the second-longest throw in history in Poland in September 2020.
Peters, who has a personal best of 87.31m, says he has no fear of Vetter or the other elite throwers of the world because in every competition it comes down to one basic thing.
“It’s all about the day. From the first throw you know what is going to be like,” he said. So, it’s all about what happens on that day.”
