He is just 23. Yet, Neeraj Chopra displays a maturity beyond his age. India's second individual gold medallist at the Olympics, looked calm and composed while waiting for his turn at the dope test centre at the stadium in Tokyo, after winning his medal. It’s nearly midnight in Tokyo but it is a night he will never forget in his life; nor would an entire nation that has been waiting for a gold medal.
Speaking to the media back home in India, in a web interaction organised by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), Chopra expressed his happiness at a job well done. He first showed the gold medal hanging around his neck and then went on to say that "the medal would not have been possible had he not competed in international competitions ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games”.
"For an athlete to be successful, competing in international events is essential. I spoke to SAI, AFI; they supported me. I got 2-3 competitions just before the Olympics; those were important for me. I could compete here because I took part in those events. Because, when I reached Tokyo, I wasn’t overawed by the occasion or feel pressure of playing alongside big names."
Even as Chopra went into the finals his confidence high after a good qualification round, the lacklustre performance of world number one Johannes Vetter of Germany surprised many. "Vetter was throwing so well for one year, but maybe due to pressure of so many competitions, he was not in form here," Chopra said.
He, however, refused to react to Vetter's pre-Olympic comment that he would beat Chopra easily. "In Olympics, rankings don’t matter; it depends whether it’s your day or not. I don’t want to say anything on his comment. I respect him a lot and feel genuinely sad he didn’t do well at the Olympics. As for me, I was only focusing on my performance."
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On how his first two throws more or less clinched the gold for him, Chopra said, "I feel the first throw was good; it put the pressure on the rest of the field. Second throw too was stable. I thought I could achieve a personal best here. I tried to go for Olympic record, but in javelin, you cannot say anything. I put in all my power and speed but it wasn't enough. I will try to reach the 90m mark soon now."
India's campaign at Tokyo Olympics got a befitting golden finale, thanks to Chopra. Asked whether he felt the pressure of going for gold, he said he was not thinking of gold while competing, but was aware of the lack of an Olympic medal in athletics. "In the past, we have got medals in hockey and shooting. In athletics, we had our athletes coming fourth. It was important to get an Olympic medal in athletics. I hope, with this medal, some things will be different, especially in my sport, javelin."
Asked to describe his journey from being a junior world champion to an Olympic champion, Chopra said it was difficult to explain it in words. "I got injured in 2019. There were many challenges but everyone supported me. The surgery was successful; I had a good rehab. I was keen to come back on the field and even sent my entry for open Nationals but the AFI president dissuaded me and told me to focus on Olympics instead. So, I withdrew from the event. I feel that was a good decision."
Speaking about the multiple coaches he has worked with in the last five years, he said that his first coach Jaiveer laid the foundation. "Last two years, the biomechanical elements have improved in my throwing. After a particular level, in athletics, the athletes improve bit by bit. Javelin is a technical sport. I trained with Gary Calvert as a junior, then came Uve Hohns and now I am working with Klaus Bartonietz, who is very experienced, and has worked with javelin throwers a lot in the past. He understands my body well and makes good training plans."
Lalit Bhanot, chairman of AFI's planning committee, pointed out that the distance Chopra threw today was similar to what he had thrown when he made the junior world record in Poland in 2016. “We tried our best to get him into Rio Olympic Games but couldn’t.
“I was sure from day one that Neeraj would win a silver at least at the Olympics. Wherever he had participated, he had won a medal - be it Junior World Championships, Commonwealth Games or Asian Games. He has been a very consistent performer."
