Bharath Ramaraj in Bengaluru
There is a statistic that tells something about Neeraj Chopra’s sheer consistency: He has competed in 76 tournaments and won 42 of them. He has also been placed in top 3 positions a staggering 62 times. The redoubtable athlete has won virtually every title in his field – right from gold and silver medals in the Olympics to medals in World Championships, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and more. He has also triumphed at the Diamond League finals, alongside recently conquering the 90m barrier.
In addition to all those glittering achievements, Neeraj has added a new feather to his cap. He has now become an organiser, too. Neeraj Chopra Classic, a tournament conducted in his name, will take place at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, on July 5. Here’s what Neeraj had to say about doubling up as an organiser and participating in the tournament, which in turn has been given the ‘Gold’ status by the world athletics body.
“The toughest decision was to think about such an event and to compete in it,” Neeraj said in a press meet. “Organising and playing together is tough. The mind of an athlete is generally slow. I have always focused on playing. But now, I have to take care of everything. I think about the food also, thinking it should not be too spicy for other athletes. I am telling them that if there is very spicy food, I always think about you guys. Not too spicy for you. As an organiser, I have to think about these small things. But I like it.”
Thomas Rohler, the 2016 Olympic javelin champion said this about coming over to India and participating in the competition: “It was not difficult at all. We got in touch about the meet quite early in the season. I was like, ‘yes’, I am going to do it. Because for me, it is also quite a special year coming back on the bigger stages after years of more troubles and injuries.
“And also, I know what he is doing. And I know what it is like. And you need all the support from the staff, from the sponsors, from the help, but also from your athlete friends because you cannot compete alone,” he added.
Julius Yego, who has a collection of medals at the Olympics and World Championships, chipped in by saying: “You know, I was telling Thomas when we were walking here because you told us it is just a small media briefing. When we came here, it was the whole big media thing. It shows the support you have given to Chopra.” He added: “Thank you so much for the support also for the sport itself, the javelin sport. You know, when I came up, it was only me and the Egyptian boy who were different athletes from the normal usual thing that we know of javelin as an European event.
“I won in 2015, so the event went global. Then Chopra came and the event now is around the clock. It is no longer a one-place event, so it is good. And now Chopra came up with this initiative, making it even bigger. When my manager informed me about this event, the next thing I told him was ‘yes’, I have to go to India because Chopra is my good friend.”
Meanwhile, it is a great opportunity for the young Sachin Yadav to showcase his skills. Recently, in the Asian Athletics Championships, he narrowly missed out on winning the gold medal, losing out to the current Olympic champion, Arshad Nadeem. He said: “When I got the message, I couldn’t believe that I got Neeraj’s message, that he has invited me for the competition. I felt very proud.”
Soon, the media interaction shifted to their individual goals. What about Rohler? The great German athlete with a personal best of 93.90m, has struggled in the recent past. Unfortunately, he was laid low by a back injury in 2020. He talked about how trying to be the best version of himself resulted in a serious injury. “We went high risk, I was lucky enough to stay away from injuries for 10 years. Then a back injury hit me. My family supported me. I am 100 per cent healthy now, I am working on my technique, to get back to 85m and World Championships.”
Neeraj had the final words on the impact of holding such an event in India: “I feel like I am in a dream. Medals are a different thing. But I have given something like this to India and Indian athletes. I am very happy about that. This is the beginning of a new chapter in Indian athletics.”
“There are many international competitions in countries like Germany every week – A, B, C categories. That is what I want here in India. At least four or five world class meets every year. Our athletes should get the opportunities and the public should watch them live,” he said.
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