Is Neeraj Chopra the greatest-ever Indian athlete? Is it premature to say so? Can he be compared to the likes of Abhinav Bindra, Sachin Tendulkar, PV Sindhu, Viswanathan Anand, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and, finally, Major Dhyan Chand? Is such a comparison fair?
I think the debate might have been settled tonight. The only thing that he was missing was the 90-metre throw. Paris had hurt him. He stayed resilient, went and worked the hardest, picked out Jan Zelezny as coach and hit the magic mark of 90.23m in Doha. That he didn’t win, courtesy Julian Weber’s monstrous final throw, is almost irrelevant.
His sheer consistency makes Neeraj a potential candidate for the mantle of the best. He has won gold at the Asian Games and the Olympics, has won silver at the World Championships and at Paris 2024, won multiple Diamond League titles and is expected to win many more. And he has started the season with a lifetime best.
We at RevSportz had once done a poll on the subject. And while the poll generated fascinating reactions from fans, I did not expect Neeraj to react to it. It was around 11pm a day after the poll that he messaged. “Mujhe abhi bahut kuch karna hai [There’s a lot I want to do],” he told me. “Abhi bahut kuch baki hai [There’s a lot left to do].”
BREAKING
History made! 🇮🇳 @Neeraj_chopra1 finally smashes past the 90m barrier with a sensational 90.23m throw at the Doha Diamond League 2025. #NeerajChopra #DiamondLeague@RohanDC98 writes.#DohaDiamondLeague #NeerajChopra #DohaDL https://t.co/4k3klxolit
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) May 16, 2025
Few in India have won even a third of what he has in their entire careers, and here he was saying he hasn’t done much and it’s just the start. For me. it was a kind of reinforcement of why he is a once-in-a-generation athlete, and why he is different. The hunger and the commitment set him apart, and perhaps that’s what has helped him stay rooted and humble. Neeraj is different, and that’s what makes him the best.
Somewhere, Neeraj and Abhinav, our two Olympic gold medallists, blend into each other. In their quest for excellence. And that’s the best thing about the two of them. “Abhinav ji jab baat karte hain, toh har baat socha hua hota jai [When Abhinav ji speaks, he puts a lot of thought into it],” Neeraj had once said. “Main abhi seekh raha hoon [I’m still learning].” From the day in Tokyo when he had to do the press conference soon after winning the Olympic gold, to now, Neeraj as a speaker has improved by a quantum mile. And yet, he wants to get better and better and follow Abhinav as the model.
Respect. That’s the one word that we have for Neeraj. And that’s why Abhinav tweets each time Neeraj wins something big. And that’s why when these two champions meet, there is a tremendous sense of warmth and affection. The baton has passed from Abhinav to Neeraj, and both are aware of their responsibilities and what they stand for. Because of the two of them, Indian sport gets better. They enrich the domain, and in doing so, serve as real inspiration to legions of sports fans in India and beyond.
Tonight was yet more reinforcement. Neeraj has yet again improved in his quest to be perfect. Paris was imperfect, and that’s what triggered him. Anyone who was there knows what I am talking about. Let me end saying I can’t wait for the Asian Games. We all know why.