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Neeraj has potential to become a star as big as Bolt: Eaton
Two-time Olympic champion in the decathlon, Ashton Eaton, feels that the Indian, and not Lyles, could be the man to match the Jamaican in the popularity stakes
It has been six years since Usain Bolt hung up his golden shoes, but the world of athletics is still searching for the next mega star who can take the sport to newer heights like the eight-time Olympic champion did.
Many have suggested that six-time world champion Noah Lyles could be the star track and field is searching for — he runs the same events as Bolt, has a magnetic personality and the closest anyone has come to matching the Jamaican’s world records. But two-time Olympic champion in decathlon Ashton Eaton feels that India’s Neeraj Chopra and not Lyles could be that celebrity.
"Neeraj is great. Bolt was the right archetype... 100m, 200m are popular events, his name is Bolt, he is flashy which captured the attention of the track and field audience in the world but maybe somebody like Neeraj can surpass him because he has got the support of one of the most populous places in the world," said Eaton, who landed here on Thursday as the international event ambassador for the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon on Sunday.
“Maybe there’s a way that India pushes him to that level or even beyond. Neeraj is right now more popular on social media than all the top competing track athletes on all their platforms combined. He has 7.2 million followers on Instagram. Lyles has (slightly more than) half a million. But then we look at Bolt and he has 13.5 million and he's not even competing anymore. So, Neeraj has the potential because of the population here. Plus, he is in advertisements everywhere. He is a very busy guy.”
Eaton knows a thing or two about defending an Olympic crown. He is one of those rare athletes who won successive Olympic gold medals at London 2012 and Rio 2016. Next year, Chopra will be in the same spot as he will be defending his javelin gold in Paris.
The javelin superstar last week won the Asian Games gold in Hangzhou which was the first time the reigning world champion defended a major title. But it wasn’t before compatriot Kishore Jena pushed Chopra to throw his season’s best throw of 88.88m to win the competition.
Though Chopra has been in sizzling form this year, but in Paris 2024 he will be the target with all others aiming to snatch the crown off his head.
“I think he is going to have a lot more pressure. When you’re young, nobody expects you to win. If you don’t win then they’re like ‘it’s alright, you tried’. If you win, it’s like wow. Next time when you don’t win there will be questions like ‘What’s your problem? What happened? If you do win, you were supposed to. So, it’s a different kind of an approach. Every single person he talks to will be like: can you do the double? In case he doesn’t, you'll be like Neeraj what happened? You were supposed to win," said Eaton, who is the only man to have crossed the 9,000-point barrier twice in decathlon.
Chopra himself admitted that defending the title in Paris will be a huge challenge since maintaining top form consistently isn’t easy. "Defending my Olympic gold could be tough because there is pressure and expectations from the people. Maintaining top form for many years is challenging but my endeavour will be to prepare in the best possible way and give my best in Paris," Chopra, who on Thursday was nominated along with 10 others for the Men’s World Athlete of the Year, told PTI.
