Neeraj Chopra, the icy-cool champion: India’s only bankable Olympic medal winner

Japanese athlete Jun-ya Sado had reason to believe he could medal at the Under-20 World Championships in 2016. Two months earlier, Sado had sprung a surprise when he won gold at the Asian Junior Championships. Finishing a step down on the podium was Neeraj Chopra, the Asian Junior record-holder.

Chopra’s first throw of 77.60 metres set a championship record in Ho-Chi Minh City. Chopra, also a Asian Junior record-holder, was the favourite to come out a winner till Sado turned the tables in the final round with 77.97m. Chopra didn’t threaten the mark, his do-or-die throw wasn’t a winning one.

A few weeks later, on the big stage, Neeraj swept away the competition at the under-20 World Championships. He rewrote the junior world record, won a historic gold. Neeraj’s 86.48 metres was nearly six metres better than the silver-medalist. Sado was last in the 14-man field.

What was immediately evident from that evening in Bydgoszcz, Poland, was an icy-cool temperament. Neeraj was and is unperturbed by the grand occasion. India had finally discovered a mega star with more than one X-factor. In the years that followed consistency became his middle name.

His path breaking 86.48m to win the world junior title eight years ago and the 87.56m for gold at the Tokyo Olympics, don’t feature in his top 10 throws anymore.

He’s conquered the big moments, by being an unflustered and bankable medal winner. It’s been six years since he has finished below top 3 in a competition.

Silver in Paris, a few months after a niggle, done in style; gold at last year’s World Championships, wrapped up by the second throw; silver a year earlier at the World Championships, despite a muscle strain; gold at Tokyo, his first-ever Olympics, with a stunningly fluid and powerful throw. An unexpected challenge from a countryman and an official gaffe of not recording his first throw at the 2023 Asian Games – no sweat, it’s gold again.

When most other Indian athletes tend to experience stage fright when the world’s eyes are on them, or when under the cosh, Neeraj revels in the spotlight. He has the talent and belief to back his charming swagger. When things don’t go his way, he finds a way – the 800 gram spear seemingly finds a life of its own when it leaves his hands.

At the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year, the officials failed to measure his first throw because of a technical glitch. On television screens and to the naked eye it looked close to 88 metres. But there was no telling how good it exactly was.

A shocked Neeraj argued with officials but they were helpless. Yet he didn’t lose his cool or panic. He realized there was no point further wasting time because other throwers were waiting for their turn. There was a shake of the head but he wasn’t going to play the victim card. By the end of the third round Kishore Kumar Jena took the surprise lead with a personal best of 87.54 metres. Jena, senior by age to Neeraj, would later say respectfully that he knew the gold wasn’t his. “Mujhe pata tha bhaisaab maar hi denge.” Neeraj did exactly that in the fourth round, 88.88 metres to defend his Asian Games title.

Hangzhou is not the only time Neeraj has delivered a podium finish after early struggle. A year earlier at the World Championships in Eugene, Neeraj was not in medal contention at the end of the third round. At the halfway mark, fans were chewing their nails. Predictions of gold were quickly going up in smoke, the question was would he even medal. Chopra was being tested like never before since becoming the Olympic champion in Tokyo.

Grenada’s Anderson Peters had stormed to the lead with two 90-metre plus throws, Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch and Julian Webber were ahead of him. In the high stakes final, despite discomfort in his adductor muscle, Neeraj produced 88.13 to move ahead of Vadlejch and Webber.

Chopra’s surreal inner belief had saved the day. ”Conditions were challenging, there was wind coming from the front. It was a tough competition with very tough competitors. But I was confident a good throw will surely come,” Neeraj had said.

Neeraj has rewarded his legion of fans with ‘good throws’, and precious medals, and something more. The guttural scream, the hands-in-the-air no-look celebration, the headband and fiery eyes, they have their own Indianised version of Bolt-lightning and Rafa’s Vamos. Not often can Indians boast about having the world’s best in their own backyard.

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