It was a familiar sight, and yet it felt surreal. A glaze of sweat on his face, hair bouncing rhythmically as he begins his run, the powerful approach, the solid block, and a rocket release followed by a guttural roar.
You know it when Neeraj Chopra is having a good day. Over the years, the javelin wonder has got us attuned to a level of excellence and consistency so elite that each time he turns up for a big competition, he is expected to deliver. And yet, each time his aura grows. Each time, there is almost an air of inevitability, of a talent so rare, so consistent, so technically accomplished, you start wondering if all this is for real.
Chopra assured us in Tokyo, in Zurich, in Gold Coast, in Jakarta that it is indeed for real. Forty years after the world athletics championships began, 20 years after Anju Bobby George won India’s first medal at the showpiece event, a bronze, the Olympics and World Championships golden double in men’s javelin by an Indian has been achieved.
The 25-year-old from Panipat’s khandra village etched his name in history at Budapest’s Nemzeti Atletikai Kozpont, venue of the Worlds. The Olympic champion of 2021, ending a nation’s agonising wait for a first athletic medal in track and field, is now world champion.
It seemed almost sealed from the moment Chopra registered his first legal throw — it was his second attempt — on a hot, windless final night of the championships in the Hungarian capital.
After starting with a foul, he sent the spear soaring into the night, letting out his signature roar even before his Nordic Valahlla javelin had travelled its full distance. He knew it by instinct, like he did in Tokyo two years back. Arms were held wide, then a fist pump, before breaking into a broad smile. The 88.17m was the early benchmark for the competition, and as the others produced further attempts, it became clear Chopra’s effort is unlikely to be beaten.
“Not just me, all throwers know it,” Chopra would say of his celebration with four tries still to come, soon after his momentous achievement. “We train so much that when a good throw leaves our hand, we know instinctively. It’s the same with Daniel Stahl (discus champion) and Ryan Crouser (shot put winner). With time, you develop the feel for a good throw. I honestly felt the throw had gone much farther, but I was happy with 88.17m.”
In big finals, that is more often than not the winning throw. Anderson Peters, who beat Chopra to gold last year at Eugene but could not make it to the final in Budapest, needed a 90m-plus throw. Eleven men had gone farther than Chopra’s effort to win the javelin world title before, five of them logging 90m-plus throws.
The javelin streaked through the dark, cloudless night before descending. It stopped 1.83m short of the 90 mark Chopra chases, but the night was not going to be about any miss.
“A 90m throw will happen someday, for sure. I have left it to time and destiny. I have been throwing 88m plus since 2018 and there used to be a time when I would think a lot about it. But now, I think winning medals is more important than hitting 90m,” he said.
On Sunday, Chopra, so used to producing a big, early throw, chose to foul his opening throw. It was a throwback to Eugene when Chopra fouled his first throw and had to wait till his fourth attempt to seal the silver.
With Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch and Pakistan‘s Arshad Nadeem lurking in pursuit, Chopra needed a good series to get away. An Olympics silver medallist, Vadlejch’s 84.18m second throw lifted him into medal position while Nadeem unfurled a season best of 87.82m on his third attempt to go second. It’s a situation Chopra doesn’t usually find himself in, but with Nadeem in top form, Chopra could feel the heat. Out came an 86.32m effort — good, but not great.
“Obviously, when the competitors start throwing well, you feel the pressure. Like in Eugene, my opening throw here was a foul and everyone started getting decent throws in. I knew it was important to get another big throw. I am someone who believes I can bring out my best throw even on my final attempt. I was prepared to push myself even after throwing 88.17m, but had to be mindful of my adductor strain,” he said, referring to the injury that had forced him to miss a bunch of competitions in the months leading up to the Worlds.
Nadeem’s fourth attempt read an impressive 87.15m and Chopra responded with 87.73m. The Pakistan thrower had the last attempt to try and push for gold, but an 81.86m on the last try meant Chopra had kept his date with history. His series read an impressive x, 88.17m, 86.32m, 84.64m, 87.73m and 83.98m. The feat means he has completed a sublime set of Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Olympics and World Championships gold medals.
“It is a big moment in my career as well as in Indian athletics. I would also like to congratulate DP Manu and Kishore Jena for finishing inside the top six. The men’s relay team also made the finals, so it was a good day for us.” Indeed, it was.
