Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra has created a worldwide history by winning the 1st Gold medal in Javelin throw with a record of 88.17 metres at the World Athletics Championship.
There is an air of inevitable doom whenever Neeraj Chopra begins running with a javelin in his hand from the top of the runway with a surety that he will medal. When he arrived in Budapest for the World Championship final, he had nearly every medal that counted in his collection. Chopra, 24, added the desired medal that was missing from his collection on Sunday night at the National Athletics Centre. He won the World Championship gold, his second following the silver from the previous year.
Chopra’s winning throw was only one of his top five longest at 88.17 metres. But what sets him apart from other athletes is his natural ability to assess the situation and perform well enough to medal. This time, he added a gold medal from the Worlds to his Olympic victory.
Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan came the closest to challenging Chopra that evening. With a throw of more than 90 metres, Nadeem captured the gold in the Commonwealth Games. Nadeem got out to a poor start with 74.80 metres, increased to 82.18, and then finished with a personal best of 87.82 to take second place.
There was a chance of a late explosion from Nadeem because he is more of a physical thrower. It was not to be, though. The fifth-place finish of Kishore Jena (84.77 metres) and the sixth-place finish of DP Manu (84.14) made it a successful day for the Indian javelin. Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic took up the bronze with 86.67 metres.
Chopra failed to score in the opening round, but he quickly recovered. In round 2, Chopra, who was sporting a white headband to prevent his hair from getting in his eyes, unleashed what would out up being his finest throw of the evening. Chopra whirled around, faced the audience, and lifted his arms before the javelin even touched down. a recognisable dance that indicates with certainty that the Indian will make a large throw. He accepted the pressure, didn’t appear bothered, and, as he frequently does, gave it his all when it counted.
Even more stress-free than keeping one’s funds in gold over the long term is investing one’s emotions in Chopra’s success. This is a result of his nearly incredible consistency, which is uncommon in Indian sportsmen. Although they don’t always define greats, statistics do provide context. Chopra’s is incredible. Despite how great a single big performance may be, he consistently follows it up with another.
Think about this Chopra’s legendary 87.58-meter winning distance for the gold medal at the Olympics in Tokyo two years ago is not one of his top ten throws. After the Summer Games, he made nine of his top ten throws. The best of these is 89.94m, and the shortest is 88.13m. Chopra has thrown over 88 metres ten times in his career, over 85 metres 26 times, and over 82 metres 37 throws.
According to these stats, consistency is his middle name, which is uncommon in Indian sports, which is filled with instances of famous athletes falling short of their international obligations. It has been almost five years since Chopra didn’t place among the top three in a tournament.
Chopra is adept at finding the route to achievement regardless of the weather, including a minor annoyance. He began the year by winning the Doha Diamond League event with his fifth-best throw of all time, 88.67m. Chopra managed 87.66 metres in his comeback competition, the Lausanne Diamond League, despite not being at full strength. Chopra’s ‘easy throw’ at the Budapest World Championships qualifying round was recorded at 88.7 metres, which is his fourth-best throw overall. Why is Chopra so talented? Technique consistency is one factor.
His instructor Klaus Bartonietz had told the newspapers, “Other sportsmen are unpredictable in their technique, but Chopra is more constant and consistency is a fantastic platform for a thrower. Chopra’s athleticism makes him a very versatile thrower, so unlike athletes like Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan or Johannes Vetter of Germany, who are known for their raw power, Chopra is not known for it. The Indian star is also gifted with flexibility, a versatile athlete who excels at jumping, lifting, and sprinting. The javelin champion may have even chosen the decathlon as a profession.
Self-confidence is one of Chopra’s other notable virtues. His physical therapist Ishaan Marwaha claims that Chopra activates the ‘Neeraj Chopra Inside the Stadium’ button before a competition. When describing how the Olympic champion enters “the zone,” Marwaha had added, “He is a different character when he steps inside the stadium. Chopra has encouraged a generation of Indian throwers to dream big thanks to his golden arm. What was formerly thought to be impossible is now seen to be possible. A emerging group of Indian javelin throwers who can reach 80 metres or more includes 22-year-old Rohit Yadav whose personal best record stands as `83.40m.
Since 2019, Rohit has been training overseas with Chopra, and he claims that the latter’s success is inspiring him and other up-and-coming throwers. If not for an elbow ailment that required surgery, Rohit would have competed in the Worlds. “When you train next to someone who consistently makes massive throws, like Chopra, you start to think you can do it too. I have observed him closely while he trains and works diligently. The method he trains and the knowledge he has received from competing abroad are the causes of all of his great throws. His success in the major competitions has motivated me. He is not an athlete whose level rises to a certain point and then drops. He has enhanced the general standard of Indian javelin throwing, according to Rohit.
When Chopra broke the inter-university record in 2009, everyone was praising him as a gifted thrower, recalls Samarjeet Singh, the javelin coach at the national camp. “Back then, throwing 75 metres was a big deal. I used to look for footage of foreign throwers and marvel how they manage to throw 82-85 metres and longer. In India, 80 metres used to be a major mental hurdle. We now own a world-class thrower.
