Distance Matters

At 20, Neeraj Chopra has broken the world junior record and competes with the big boys. His journey, however, has just begun

- Neeru Bhatia

A BABY FACE DOTTED with freckles, chubby cheeks, and hair that almost covers his eyes. Neeraj Chopra, 20, does look his age. But, his talent goes beyond. The javelin thrower is one of the brightest talents to emerge from India in recent times. So much so, that the world is sitting up and taking notice.

On July 29, he won gold at the Savo Games in Finland with a throw of 85.69m, almost toppling over. More importantly, he beat his Chinese Taipei rival Cheng Chao-Tsun, who has previously thrown the javelin beyond 90m. The Indian team is currently preparing for the upcoming Asian Games at a training camp in Finland.

Adille Sumariwalla, president of the Athletics Federation of India, puts it succinctly: “Chopra is one of the few world-class athletes India has currently.”

But, when he is not “zoned in”, trying to pierce the sky with his spear, you can find him online, engaged in a budding bromance with high-jumper Tejaswin Shankar, another promising prospect.

The ultimate compliment comes from Uwe Hohn, India’s national javelin coach. “He is special, yes,” Hohn, 55, told THE WEEK. He had heard of Chopra and seen his exploits on YouTube before taking charge. “But, there are technical problems with his throw, and we are working to fix these problems.” Hohn would know, being the only man to throw the javelin beyond the 100m mark, in 1984. However, because he was a citizen of East Germany, he couldn’t clinch the ultimate gold; his government had boycotted the Los Angeles Olympics. He still dreams of that gold, but now through his ward.