Neeraj Chopra’s ascension to the top of javelin throw and his evolution as an athlete should be part of the sporting curriculum. For, at the age of 25, he has achieved milestones unheard in the history of Indian athletics, and the manner in which he continues to handle his stardom after the Olympics gold is heartening to see as well a big lesson for the younger generation.
Chopra was always billed for bigger things in India, after he won the World Under-20 Championships gold in 2016 with a world record throw of 86.48m. He then went on to add Asian Games and Commonwealth Games gold, but his historic Olympic gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games two years ago has skyrocketed his popularity in India and around the world.
His World Championship silver and Diamond Trophy title last year has shown that Chopra is set to dominate javelin throw over the next decade.
On the eve of the Diamond League opener in Doha on Thursday, the charming Chopra was the cynosure of all eyes. There were never-ending requests for interviews and photographs from the media, yet the young Indian handled everything patiently with a wide smile.
“After I won the Olympics gold medal, there has been a lot of change in the Indian sporting culture,” said Chopra, when asked about his ever-growing influence in Indian sports, particularly athletics.
“The young generation is taking up sports. And it’s not just the javelin, there is interest in other sports too. And it’s bringing the confidence in the juniors to perform well. They believe if I can do it, they can do it too. In India, we already have six or seven of them who can throw over 80m. And there are two or three more of them who threw over 80m this year. So the interest in javelin has picked up in India. Hopefully in the next ten years, other javelin throwers from India will join me in the Diamond League, World Championship or Olympics,” he added.
So how does he manage to keep laser-sharp focus on his career? “Training is like healing for me. I feel really good when I’m training,” said the lad from Panipat.
“After my Olympic gold many people know me now, so the biggest challenge for me is to focus on my training and competitions. That’s really the tough part for me. So for me to manage all this attention and also compete on a bigger stage in the world is difficult.”
Today, Chopra launches his Diamond League defence at the Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium, with a star-studded field hoping to seal the limelight from him. An important and packed 14 months awaits the Indian as he defends his Asian Games and Olympics title, while also hoping to upgrade his Worlds silver into gold in Budapest.
His first test awaits in Doha, where Chopra will be up against two-time world champion Anderson Peters and Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch. Peters threw 93.07m to win in Doha last year in a thrilling competition with Vadlejch, who set a PB of 90.88m.
Chopra, who extended his national record to 89.94m last year and was incredibly consistent in the high 80s, hopes to join the coveted 90m club in Doha. From Thomas Rohler’s 93.90m in 2017 to Peters’ 93.07m last season, Doha has a rich history of record-breaking throws.
“This is my first competition of the season. It’s always good when you have great competitors,” Chopra said yesterday. “Vadlejch has already thrown 88.38m in Potchefstroom (South Africa, on April 18), so I think tomorrow will see great competition. Also, Doha is famous for 90m throws. So we will see, hopefully tomorrow will have great results for all,” added Chopra.
Chopra is returning to Doha after five years. In the 2018 Diamond League, he finished fourth with 87.43m, while he missed the 2019 Worlds as he was recovering from elbow injury.