Moments before Neeraj Chopra attempted the first of his six javelin throws during the finals at the Paris Olympics, the 78,000 fans assembled at the Stade de France stadium were so quiet, you could have heard someone sneeze. Chopra became the first Indian track and field athlete to win a gold medal at the Olympics in 2020. Since then, he has lovingly tended to the country's desire for an encore.
As he shuffled on both legs, took two deep breaths and charged ahead, the crowd-including actor Abhishek Bachchan, who sat behind me in the box reserved by our event hosts, Omega-erupted into cheers, chanting his name.
But just as he released the spear from his hand, Chopra stumbled and slipped on the line. It was a foul; the fact that his javelin soared over 87 metres didn't count.
There was palpable disappointment in the stadium. "We've just begun. Come on Neeraj, you've got this," Bachchan reassuringly announced in his trademark cool-boy drawl. While the athlete did go on to win a silver medal for his second attempt at 89.45 metres, I couldn't help but wonder how he managed to pump himself up for five more throws after that devastating foul.
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