It has been barely a few days since Chandrayaan-3 landed on the Moon on August 23, and India has already created another record. This time in athletics. India’s star track and field athlete Neeraj Chopra etched his name in the history books by clinching the gold medal in javelin throw at the World Athletics Championships held at Budapest, in Hungary. What makes this victory more special is that he is the first ever Indian to bag the top prize at the championships. Chopra had to settle for silver in the previous year’s edition of the event but he went one step better this time.
Chopra’s first throw was recorded a foul which caused some nervousness in the hearts of the Indian fans and understandably so. People from Haryana, his hometown, were glued to the television and so was the entire nation. Chopra recorded a stellar throw at 88.17 meters during his second attempt and the audience were convinced that this would be the winning throw. The belief came true and Chopra won his maiden gold at the World Athletics Championships. Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem trailed Chopra closely with a respectable 87.82 meter throw. A formidable contender in his own right, Chopra will be constantly challenged by Nadeem in the future events but for now, India’s golden boy remains the one to beat at the elite tournaments.
Indeed, Chopra has earned his success the hard way and nothing was served to him on the silver platter. Interestingly, Chopra was not interested in any sports when he was younger. In fact, he embraced javelin throw only by accident when he was a kid. He was not as fit as he is now, as a child but he was struggling with being overweight. He weighed 80 kgs as a child which was a matter of concern for his parents. One day, his father took him to a stadium near the village to make him run and participate in other sport activities. To their disappointment, nothing worked. One thing did work in their favour however was Chopra noticed a player practicing javelin throw. He attempted the same, he got it right and the rest is history. Chopra decided to make javelin throw his passion and credit to his sheer dedication, persistence and consistency, soon excelled in it.
To describe him in his own coach’s words, he is a natural. Chopra first rose to prominence in 2016 when he won a gold medal at World Under-20 Championships becoming the first Indian to do so. In the last 7 years, Chopra has won 7 gold medals and 1 silver at elite championships. His achievements have established him as a trailblazer in athletics for India on the global stage. His most famous victory was perhaps at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where he recorded a 87.58 meters throw. What makes his Olympics and World titles more special is that he was not at his best at either of these events. Chopra has recorded four better attempts with his best being 89.94 meter on the way to winning the Diamond League last year at Stockholm. His second best throw is recorded at 89.30 meter. His closest rival Arshad Nadeem however has achieved this feat when he showcased his prowess by managing a commendable throw of 90.18 meters at 2022 Commonwealth Games. This was also a new record at the respective games.
Notably, Chopra had not participated in the event due to health concerns but rest of the time whenever both appeared in the same tournaments, Chopra emerged victorious. It’s only this time that both the potential future foes recorded similar numbers and it is safe to say that this could turn into an entertainingly fascinating rivalry. In his young yet already illustrious career, Chopra has become an icon for Indian athletes with the javelin throw gaining more popularity in the country.
It was also heartening to see Chopra always displaying his sportsmanship and humility despite being a dominant force in the field. At the end of the championships when all the medal winners came to pose together for a picture, Nadeem was looking for his country’s flag as he did not have one. Chopra urged Nadeem to join for the photograph which he did and both were seen beaming smiles full of pride. The video of this incident went viral on social media and people lauded Chopra’s gesture. Nadeem has frequently spoken with great respect for Chopra as well and this mutual appreciation is only beneficial for the sports as well as their fans. Chopra once had also gifted his signed javelin spear to Nadeem. India is indeed fortunate to have an athlete like Neeraj Chopra!
