Bhubaneswar: His nerves are made of steel, he responds brilliantly to pressure as if he is ignorant of what it can do to the best and, what’s more, he is all of 19 years old. For weeks, there has been talk of how Neeraj Chopra would deliver India a rare men’s javelin throw gold in the 22nd Asian Athletics Championship. He was calm as he made his fans wait for his final throw to seal the deal.
Even though distance runner Govindan Lakshman claimed a double by winning the 10,000m, Seema Baraman earned the title of the greatest woman athlete of the meet with the heptathlon gold and the two 1600m relay teams won popular golds, it was this teenager’s effort that brought a world class touch to the Indian performances – the best of the 12 gold medals.
With a smooth run-up and his mind focused sharply on the task on hand, he sent the spear soaring into the night sky with a majesty that was a sight to behold. It was almost as if the entire Kalinga Stadium was willing the javelin to go farther than it had all night. And, soar it did for a long while before punching turf at 85.23m, catapulting him from bronze medal place to a fantastic gold.
It was the world junior champion’s second 85-meter plus throw this season, his 85.63 in the Federation Cup at Patiala last month being the best recorded on Indian soil. Considering that he could have been battling the remaining effects of jet lag after having returned from the Diamond League meet in Paris earlier this week, it was a fantastic achievement.
Spare a thought though for Qatar’s 20-year-old Ahmed Bader Magour who led the competition with a throw of 83.70m on his fourth attempt and would have believed that he had done enough to take gold home from under the noses of Neeraj Chopra and Davinder Singh Kang, who put behind his urine sample testing positive for marijuana, and unleashed an 83.29, effort in the fourth round.
The mental strength that Neeraj Chopra showed in delivering when it mattered the most in a high-quality competition that saw 11 throws in excess of 80m will be etched in the minds of all those who were privileged to watch him compete. Yes, indeed, this pride of India has a mature head on his young shoulders. It is this quality that endears him to everyone, even his competitors.
This piece first appeared in Mid-Day, Mumbai, on July 10, 2017
