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Asian Games, in a way, marked the start of my journey: Neeraj Chopra
This will be the first time that the Indian javelin ace will be competing in a major competition as a defending champion
With his tall frame and movie-star looks, it is not tough to spot Neeraj Chopra from a distance. Trouble is to get close to him, for the reigning Olympic and world champion is hardly without an entourage.
If he is not flanked by biomechanics expert Dr Klaus Bartonietz and physiotherapist Ishaan Marwaha, he is surrounded by top officials from the Athletics Federation of India. When he is not humoring fellow athletes with selfies, he is busy telling them to enjoy the sport. When the Indian media reached the athletes' village to meet their biggest draw on Friday, Chopra obliged them with pictures and poses, giving them lasting memories and bragging rights.
And once business resumed, he spoke with the uninhibited candour that helps him stand out in times of rehearsed quotes and borrowed thoughts.
Five years is a long time in elite sports. It was at this stage in 2018 when Chopra, with his flowing mane and raw energy, jumped to national consciousness with a javelin gold in Jakarta with a throw of 88.06m. He had already won the junior World Championships (2016), Asian Championships (2017), and Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (2018) gold medals by then, but the Asian Games was then the biggest stage he had set foot on.
Half a decade later, having achieved everything his sport has to offer and completed an enviable set of top finishes -- junior World Championships, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Olympics, Diamond League Finals, and World Championships -- Chopra returns to the very stage where his ascent truly began. And he wants to own it again.
"This is the first time I am competing in a major competition as a defending champion. Asian Games 2018 was just at the start of my career. The only big competition I had played by then was the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast earlier that year, so the Asian Games, in a way, marked the start of my journey. A lot has changed since then," Chopra said.
"My dreams of winning at the Olympics and becoming a world champion have been realised. The atmosphere here is great. It is always nice to be at the multi-disciplinary Games. I went to the track yesterday and it felt good," he said.
Chopra lands in Hangzhou on the back of a strong show in Budapest where he became the first Indian world champion in athletics. Four days later, he was throwing in Zurich Diamond League where he finished second (85.71m) to Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch. A fortnight on, he went to Eugene to defend his Diamond League Final crown but finished second (83.80), again to Vadlejch, who threw 84.24m.
The moderate throw, Chopra said, was a result of him using a new spear instead of the one he usually prefers. "For the first time in my career,I did not travel to a competition with my javelin thinking I would arrange a new one there (Eugene) because a lot of times carrying javelins in flights is a problem. But those were brand new, hard, unused javelins. Even Jakub had only an 84m throw," he said.
"But we knew where we lagged, so it's alright. Asian Games is my last event of the season and I will give my best."
Despite the world championships glory, the season has been a moderate one in terms of throwing distances for Chopra who came within 0.06 centimetres of hitting the elusive 90 metres last year. This season, out of six competitions, he has logged 88m-plus throws in three of them. In 2022, he competed in seven events and nailed at least one 88m-plus throw in six of those events, including three 89m-plus efforts.
The reason is a niggling groin strain that has troubled him all season, forcing him to miss at least two competitions in Europe and casting doubts in his mind whenever he competed. Still not fully fit, Chopra intends to recover in the break he will get after the Asian Games.
"We will give him a break of 6-7 weeks during which time he will be back in India. Thereafter, preparations for the Paris Olympics will begin. We intend to make Potchefstroom in South Africa our first training base," Chopra's physio Ishaan Marwaha said.
The javelin ace agreed that the groin has been a distraction and the biggest challenge he faces is to take his mind off the strain and focus on his throws.
"Javelin involves unnatural movements and there are always some issues in the body. Groin has been an ongoing issue, it was there last year too and recurred this year. I will give it good attention after this event as we begin preparing for the Paris Games," he said.
"The biggest challenge this year has been to retain fitness, keep the mind away from the injury, and stay focussed on the performance. Even at the Worlds, I was struggling to focus on the throws because my mind kept going back to the groin. My strength is my speed on the runway which is what took a hit due to groin trouble. Even in practice, I could not go all out. It is important to get the mind off injury. That adds confidence which then translates into good throws," he added.
In Hangzhou though, a semi-fit Chopra may still be able to retain his title. The major competition is expected to be Pakistan's freak Arshaf Nadeem, the bronze medallist from the 2018 edition. Nadeem ran Chopra close in Budapest with a season's best performance (87.82m) to take silver and already has a 90m throw to his name, a mark he achieved at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games that Chopra skipped.
Chopra, who has never lost to Nadeem in their nine meetings, has always played down the India-Pakistan rivalry and Saturday was no different. Calling the bond he shares with other athletes as "something only a sportsperson or a true follower of sports will understand", Chopra said, "Athletics is a global sport. We compete against athletes from different countries and we push each other in competitions. Off the field, we meet each other warmly. That is what the sport teaches us too. In the Games village too we meet athletes from different countries, we talk and dine together."
While the stage is set for the athletics superstar to dazzle, rain may potentially be a bit of a spoiler on October 4, the day of the men's javelin final. While throwing events are generally not rescheduled due to rains, wet tracks and overhead conditions may dictate the distances. It has rained in Hangzhou for the past couple of days and the temperatures have dropped to mid-20s after a few sunny days earlier in the week.
"I will certainly prefer drier conditions but as an athlete, one has to be prepared for such weather too. If it rains, we can't do anything about it. The conditions will be the same for everyone. The mindset is to be ready to perform in tough conditions and keep giving my 100 percent," he said.
A 90m throw in the season-ending competition is unlikely, but till such time the barrier is breached, Chopra will be asked about it. And as is his wont, he continues to answer it with disarming honesty.
"It will depend on the day. At the start of the season, I thought I would get there but it didn't happen because of the headwind. I had a good throw in the qualification round of the World Championships too but the 90m did not come. God must have some plans for me. I still prefer winning over achieving the distance. The 90m-mark will happen one day, but winning matters the most," he said. India, and Chopra, will hope to achieve both objectives next week.
