Neeraj Chopra crosses 90m, yearns for more

Excellence, thy name is Neeraj Chopra! Indeed,if there is one Indian athlete who believes that the pursuit of excellence does never end with one achievement here or there but a saga that seeks new boundaries, then it has to be this little giant javelin thrower Neeraj. To think that it was to get rid of his obesity that his father, a farmer, took him to a stadium to encourage him to take to sports, one wonders how much the nation owes its gratitude to this Haryana native. Neeraj was not inclined to take to running to cut his fat but it was the Javelin throwers who drew him to them. And the rest as they say is history!

The only Indian athlete to win an Olympic gold which he achieved in Tokyo, Neeraj had made it even better by winning another medal, a silver in the next Olympics in Paris last year. No Indian athlete had done this till date. From the way he is approaching his task of continuing to improve, the braveheart could well be set for greater deeds. Particularly after his latest classic in Doha in the Diamond League where for the first time he crossed the 90 m mark. For a long had this 90 m barrier working in his mind. Added to that the frequent reminders and queries by people who matter and others had kept him agitating. The drive in his heart had not died and none had given much thought to the fact that he had been carrying a groin injury much of the time to scuttle a whole-hearted effort.

All that ended as he found the perfect rhythm in that night sky in the Qatari capital. After a fouled second throw, he sent the spear in the next, hurling high and far past the 90 m mark, 90.23m to be precise. Again this is a first by an Indian and 25th person in the world to achieve this distinction and this included his current Czech coach Jan Zelezny, who incidentally holds the world record, a whopping 98.48 m! So, an established javelin thrower is now working on a potential world beater and that is Neeraj. It was in February this year that Neeraj and Zelezny actually got working together and though the work of the Czech is still in progress, his ward had given him the delight of his growth in Doha. It is a different matter that despite his spectacular best, Neeraj placed second after the German rival Julian Weber in his final attempt came up with a monstrous throw to send the javelin to 91.06 m mark. This was also the German’s first 90 m plus throw in this career. Suffice to state a healthy rivalry has begun and this should push the Indian further as he has removed the mental block of not being able to cross the 90 m barrier all this while.

Just amazing how a career develops and brings with it such stunning landmarks. How would Neeraj’s father Satish Kumar, a farmer of modest means, would have ever known that his son would end up not just throwing away his obesity but also heave the spear to heights that has made him a world figure in sports. What is significant is that name or fame has not diminished Neeraj’s desire for perfection and excellence. Even more, his vision continues to seek new frontiers. The ace athlete understands that the Doha feat may have brought him a second place, something he believes had become regular for him in competitions lately but the bitter-sweet moment notwithstanding, the Gulf exploit could well be the start of Neeraj-II so to say. A bit more fine tuning at the hands of the world-renowned Coach, believes Neeraj would enable him not just cross the 90 mark regularly but reach greater distances. The season had only just started, were his inspiring words post Doha effort.

On the eve of this Diamond League, Neeraj had the cheering news from India that of being conferred with the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army. It was last year that he was promoted to the rank of a Subedar Major in the army and sure enough all this will not stop here. More honours and titles will pursue this greatest Indian athlete and so will his feats in the javelin arena. If there is one lesson that he provides to all aspiring talents then it has to be the need for an unwavering desire to excel and the undying passion for the sport. Add to that an unshakable determination and ability to soak in the good and the bad with equipoise. Remember how his Pakistani rival Arshad Nadeem shocked him in Paris with a gigantic 90m plus throw that edged out Neeraj for the gold. Till then the Indian had an upper hand when the two met. But the Paris setback had not unsettled the Indian and if the Doha finish is anything to go by, javelin competition at the world level is only becoming closer and stronger. For not just Arshad, who did not participate in Doha, there is also this German Weber who is the latest to overtake Neeraj. Interesting times ahead as the year 2025 awaits more classics.