A decade ago, when yours truly would pore through some of India’s national records in Track and Field events, there was a tinge of sadness that most of the marks set weren’t comparable to the world records. You pondered whether it was in our genes. Lack of infrastructure and facilities was also another factor to mull upon.
Hope springs eternal. Around two years later, in 2016, something seemed to have changed: A young man from Khandra, Neeraj Chopra, had comfortably crossed the 80m mark in the javelin event at the U20 World Championships. His best throw – 86.48m – didn’t just break India’s national record by a fair distance but also turned out to be a world junior record in that discipline.
This was a time to celebrate as such a throw would have likely landed him at least a bronze medal at the Olympics. To give some context, in the 2012 London Olympics, Neeraj would have won the gold with that kind of a throw. In the subsequent Rio Olympics, he would have clinched a bronze medal.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t qualify for that 2016 Summer Olympics as the cut-off date for the mega event was July 11, a few days before the World Junior Championships had commenced. However, that stellar showing gave an inkling about Neeraj’s burgeoning potential. For a country that was confined to cheering 80-metre throws by Rajesh Kumar, Anil Kumar Singh and Ramandeep Singh, Neeraj had given renewed hope that an Indian could ride the chariot of dreams, and one fine day clinch the coveted medal at the Olympics or World Championships.
Time flies. Eight years have gone by since, and 2016 is now just a footnote in history. So, where is Neeraj now? Has he fulfilled his promise? In truth, Neeraj hasn’t just done that, he has raised the bar by several notches. He has either been placed first or bagged the gold medal at the Olympics, World Championships, Diamond League, Diamond League Finals, Asian Games, World Junior Championships, South Asian Games, Asian Championships and Commonwealth Games. Basically, his worst performance is a silver at the Asian Junior Championships.
The collection of glittering accolades and medals are such that a lesser mortal might have even thought of bringing the curtains down on his career at 26. After all, Neeraj has won everything at such a young age. Neeraj, though, is different. Athletes, who have repeatedly tasted success at the higher echelons of sport, have that insatiable hunger. Neeraj is certainly one of them. He is now eyeing his second gold medal at the Olympics.
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🇮🇳 vs 🇩🇪 Hockey Semi-Final | Neeraj Chopra qualification today | Will Mirabai snatch a medal? https://t.co/foycqjAl6M
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) August 6, 2024
Yes, there have been some concerns with regard to his niggles, especially the adductor-muscle injury has acted as a hurdle in recent times. Although he is medically fit, there would be a question mark or two in relation to his match fitness. He is also up against a tough field, comprising Jakub Vadlejch, Oliver Helander, Julian Weber, Arshad Nadeem, Max Dehning, Gatis Cakss, Keshorn Walcottand Anderson Peters.
The hallmark of Neeraj’s greatness is his unrelenting consistency. As evidence, even when he wasn’t exactly at his best, Neeraj took first place in the recently held Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland. Going further back, in the 2022 Kuortane Games, in wet conditions, he was able to achieve first place with a creditable throw of 86.69m. To summarise, be it wet or cold conditions, humidity or gusty winds, Neeraj has largely carved out the right path since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Whether Neeraj does a double act at the Olympics is secondary. His greatest achievement is perhaps playing a major role in creating a sporting culture in the country. Just glance through India’s 15 best throws in men’s Javelin and you would observe that around 12 of those have come after Neeraj’s historic gold medal at the World Junior Championships in 2016. Kishore Jena, one of his colleagues, even went on to hurl the Javelin as far as 87.54m in the Asian Games last year, and for a while he was leading Neeraj in that event. To put it simply, the entire nation is indebted to Neeraj.
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Side note – The Javelin throw event at the Paris Olympics consists of two groups.