Golden arm

NEERAJ CHOPRA’S JOURNEY FROM TALENTED TEEN TO OLYMPIC CHAMPION

- NEERU BHATIA

After he ran in and released the Nordic javelin for the second time, Neeraj Chopra bent down to balance himself, turned around and raised his right hand to signal he had done it. He did not need to look where the spear had landed. Chopra had made the winning throw at the men’s javelin finals at Tokyo 2020.

For the record, the javelin had travelled 87.58m; no one would match the distance.

With this, the 23-year-old from Khandra village in Panipat, Haryana, walked into an exclusive club with only one other member—shooter Abhinav Bindra. They are India’s only individual Olympic gold medallists; Bindra won his at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Chopra also became independent India’s first Olympic medallist in athletics; Norman Pritchard had won two silvers at the 1900 Olympics.

The achievement was enormous, but there was no jumping with joy. Subedar Neeraj Chopra was all understated swag. Simple, down-to-earth, humble. These are some of the words his mates, seniors, officials, and coaches use to describe the golden boy. Athletics Federation of India president Adille Sumariwalla describes him thus, “A dedicated, well-behaved athlete totally focused on his game.”

Chopra is the reigning Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and now Olympic gold medallist. “What makes him different from other javelin throwers in India is his athleticism,” coach Klaus Bartonietz told THE WEEK from his home in Germany. “What he does in the gym, he does with speed. He is well coordinated on rope floor, high bar, parallel bars; you cannot compare with gymnasts, of course, but what is key is athleticism. This is what we need in javelin throw, all-around preparation.”