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The | New Delhi |
Updated: May 4, 2020 8:15:43 am
Neeraj Chopra claimed India’s first gold in a world-class competition and also rewritten the U20 world record with his 86.48m javelin throw at the 2016 IAAF U-20 World Championship. (Twitter / NeerajChopra)
India was supposed to start its four-month countdown to the Olympics right now. But forced into an unprecedented grim blockade as the world battles the Covid-19 outbreak, the sport is looking at unfathomable despair. However, Indian athletes have given the country reasons to rejoice in the past. The Indian Express recalls some of these memories in “Those months, those minutes.”
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Neeraj Chopra, the best javelin thrower in India, is living a dream he never dreamed of. The current Asian and Commonwealth Games champion grew up in the village of Khandra in the Panipat district of Haryana, and had not even seen a javelin as a child, much less harboring the ambition to become a world champion in the discipline.
But at the 2016 IAAF U-20 World Championship in Poland, an 18-year-old Neeraj changed the course of his life while inspiring many young people in India to pick up the 800-gram spear. The 86.48m throw, on his second attempt, claimed India’s first gold in a global competition and also rewritten the U20 world record.
That an achievement of this magnitude would have required years of dedication, hard work and sacrifice is a fact. But every time Neeraj narrates his trip to the podium, he prefers to edit the emotional parts. The focus, according to him, should be on the positives and it’s no surprise that his side of the story is peppered with “bahut badiya tha” (it was great).
Gentle preparation
So how did things go in the lead up to the championships? There had to be an injury, a visa delay, a last minute hiccup or some problem that made things difficult, right? “Nahi hee, sab badiya tha”.
“We were training in Spala (in Poland), so we headed to Bydgoszcz (without visa problems). I participated in an event a few days before the competition and managed to reach 79m. He had good momentum and lots of positive energy. He was injury free. My junior world ranking was no. 1, and all these things matter. During my final training sessions, I could feel that my body was in top shape and a great pitch was on the way, “Neeraj told The Indian Express.
Back then, he was training with Australian coach Gary Calvert, who passed away in 2018 due to a heart attack. Calvert, known for his kind nature, simplified everything for his young position. He understood Neeraj’s style, very different from the great German pitchers, and took advantage of it.
Just another day
Even on the day of the event, Neeraj did it like it was any other competition. Adequate sleep, on-time meals, and the standard warm-up procedure. Nothing special, until then.
“You must take good care of yourself before a big event. And on the day of the event, you should plan meal times. Everything is marked: the duration you have to sleep, you can’t sleep too much either. My mind automatically enters the zone before a competition ”, he explains.
July 23, 2016 – Javelin Throw Final
On qualifying day, Neeraj managed 78.20m in his first attempt to reach the final. But the normally calm Neeraj felt a rush of adrenaline in his body like never before when we entered the Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Stadium for the final.
READ | Interview with Neeraj Chopra: “It is difficult to qualify for the World Championship”
“I felt good even during my warm-up. On the first attempt, I gave it my all but the result was not up to it since I managed 79m. Then on the second throw, the moment the javelin left my arm, I knew this throw was different. I could hear the crowd saying “wooh” when my spear flew through the air and the moment it landed, the noise was somewhat different. I could feel the force that went into the launch inside me. I knew it was the best pitch I ever made, ”recalls Neeraj.
It is like an experienced hitter who knows where the ball is going the moment he hits the bat. If Neeraj was a hitter, his second attempt hit the sweetest part of the willow tree in perfect timing. In addition to the medals and laurels that earned him a shot, Neeraj eventually dreamed big.
U20 world record!
Watch Neeraj Chopra Release 86.48 pic.twitter.com/BXtCKxR0rT
– World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) July 24, 2016
“I waited anxiously for the distance to appear on the big screen. There it was, 86.48m. I couldn’t believe it for a while. I saw the fruits of years of training and sacrifice in front of me. At that moment I realized that I was destined for more important things and that one day I knew that I could win a medal in the greatest sporting event, the Olympic Games, “he says.
Life-changing moment
Neeraj’s goal setting approach seems very practical considering the fact that he started playing sports in the first place to lose weight. As a child, he was very overweight, weighing 90 kg at the age of 12. Those days are well behind the 22-year-old, a true prospect of the Olympic medal, who has set his sights on the elusive 90m mark.
The moment Neeraj’s medal word in Poland reached India, his phone kept ringing. Dealing with popularity overnight was not part of Calvert’s training manual.
“At the time, I didn’t even have an Instagram or Twitter account. I was just on Facebook and my friends would send me screenshots of famous people congratulating me on social media. It felt really good to receive such praise, but I honestly wasn’t ready to This sudden attention I was getting made me feel a little uncomfortable. I didn’t even know how to reply to the countless messages on my phone, so I thought it would be better to turn it off completely. (laughs), “he says.
Neeraj Chopra best U20 in the world and history with # WU20Bydgoszcz2016 javelin victory
Report: https://t.co/1lNiYxSXcJ pic.twitter.com/JHnlvk7n6Z
– World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) July 24, 2016
Even brighter future
Neeraj is a pioneer in Indian athletics. He proved himself a rare gem by consistently performing well on the circuit and adding more distance to his national brand. His CWG medal in 2018 was the first gold for an Indian at the javelin event in the history of the competition. The Indians have long been happy celebrating “near failures” in athletics, but Neeraj has given them reason to dream big.
But as usual, Neeraj’s approach is a little different.
“Everyone thinks of winning a medal all the time. But when I’m competing, I intend to nail a near perfect shot. Once I complete that, I take everything, including the medals, as a bonus. “
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