Neeraj Chopra: The One Who Can Keep Up

Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown …”

But not for India’s javelin star Neeraj Chopra. Even as he wore the crown of Olympic glory, he knew many before him had walked this path but seldom had individual feat at the Games made way for greater glory. In fact, for most Indian athletes, an Olympic success has been the end of an ascent.

Chopra’s first challenge, since his Tokyo triumph, was the Paavo Nurmi Games in 2022 where he was making his return to competitive action. He set a new personal best and national record of 89.30 m, which also earned him the second place in the tournament. Keeping up the momentum, Chopra once again broke his record with a 89.94 metre throw and secured the second place at the Stockholm Diamond
League 2022.

In a country where all sporting stars other than cricketers have a very limited shelf life in public memory, Neeraj Chopra stands out. It is not his impish looks that are leaving a mark but his sheer consistency that has established Chopra as an all-weather javelin star dominating all conditions—Asian as well as European.

Nothing But the Best

When you are on the path to change a narrative in a country like India, being the second best may not be the most viable option. In his hunt for another sporting laurel, Chopra could only bag silver at the World Championships 2022, held in Oregon. Still, the win was historic as only long-jumper Anju Bobby George had previously won a medal at the tournament in 2003, and that too a bronze.

Chopra won the Lausanne Diamond League final, and the grand final in Zurich. He attributes these victories to his failures in the past. “It is through defeats that I have reached this stage. In 2017, I started to compete in the Diamond league events, so between 2017 and 2021, I kept losing. It was in 2022 Diamond League final when I first got a position on the podium,” he said at a recent media summit in Delhi.

By the time Chopra entered 2023, he was already an international star and his game had more Indian audience than ever before. Anne-Sophie Voumard, managing director of the International Olympic Committee’s Television and Marketing Services, converts Chopra’s achievement into figures. In a recent interview with Forbes, she said Chopra’s gold-winning javelin throw in Tokyo totalled about 60 million views from India, which is more than the entire Indian audience in the Rio Games that took place in 2016. The viewership of the Tokyo games shows the popularity of Indian athletes in the Olympic games, and the subcontinent has now become a very important region, she added.

His consistent performance attracted the attention of not just India but the whole world when he started the season this year. He won the Doha Diamond League 2023. He was ultimately recognised officially as the best when he was placed at the top spot of men’s javelin throw rankings issued by World Athletics. This signalled a new era of Indian dominance in a game other than cricket.

The Golden Boy

Never had any Indian athlete won gold at the World Championships; therefore, sports fans in the country, in a rare occurrence, stood behind someone with a javelin instead of a bat or ball in hand. The consistency he showed after his rise in Tokyo had led to this mass expectation that he would make history in Budapest. And he did it. Chopra’s dream of becoming the World Champion came true and the country hailed the golden boy.

Following this victory, Chopra’s portfolio took a leap in brand endorsements. He partnered with companies such as JSW Group, Noise and Samsung. Today, several brands want him to be their face. Despite being chased by such big names for brand endorsement, Chopra handled fame well. He never took his eyes off his goals.

When attributing his present hits to his past misses, he presses upon the fact that injuries would be the biggest challenge in his career and hence he would not compromise on his fitness at any cost. He dropped out of the Monaco leg of the Diamond league to allow the healing of a muscle strain ahead of the World Championship.

Future Perfect

From the U20 World Championships to the Olympics, the Haryana javelin superstar has conquered all international summits with jaw-dropping consistency. His next big test awaits him in 2024, when all eyes will be on him. India will expect him to defend his Olympic crown in Paris.

Such high expectations can be overwhelming for a 25-year-old, but the past few years have shown that if any Indian sport star can live up to it, it is Neeraj Chopra. His secret sauce is not the nonchalance with which he maintains his winning streak, but the maturity with which he does it.

After the World Championship, when he was asked what kept him going even after winning all prizes that could be won, Chopra  responded, “I want to repeat this success year after year. I also want more Indians to join me on the podium. That will be fun”.

This is the legacy of Neeraj Chopra.