How Neeraj Chopra’s javelin throw has travelled the length and breadth of India and into the minds of every sports lover

By K.R. Nayar

There is more to it than Neeraj Chopra’s feat of winning the gold at the Tokyo Olympics. His accomplishment will pave the way for many sportsmen to attempt the impossible. Like the former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar who became the first to reach the 10,000 run mark and prove to Indians that they can break records, Chopra has set the trend in athletics for many to follow. Javelin throw will no longer be an ordinary athletic field event.  

Neeraj Chopra celebrates the moment. Photo: Twitter 

Open any social media app today, be it Whatsapp, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, it’s all about Neeraj Chopra and his feat. His gold at the Tokyo Olympics will glitter forever as a huge landmark in Indian sports.

With so much already written and spoken about how Chopra won the gold and his path to creating history, it will be interesting to look into the impact of his feat on athletics in India in the future. While his javelin travelled a distance of 87.58m in Tokyo, the impact of his throw will have travelled the length and breadth of India and into the minds of every sportsman and sports lover.

Sunil Gavaskar celebrates Neeraj Chopra's golden moment 

Being a javelin thrower was anything but prestigious until August 7, 2021. But from now on it will be with pride that youngsters would want to take part in this event. I remember very few coming forward to attempt a javelin throw at our school’s annual sports event. Rarely does one get to hear about a sportsman aiming to be a javelin thrower in the future.  But Chopra has lifted the profile of javelin throw through his gold medal triumph.

I must confess that as a sports journalist, I used to write about this sport only for the Special Supplement produced during the Olympics. It was then that I learned about javelin throw being one of the pentathlon events in the ancient Olympic Games in 708 BC! It was Sweden’s Eric Lemming who dominated as an outstanding javelin thrower and the first world's best throw was 49.32 meters. Interestingly, his last record, measured at 62.32m was ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federation as the first official world record.

Eric Lemming

Chopra has sent out a huge message to every youngster to aim high. He has also proven that whatever happens around you as a sportsman is immaterial, and that one can be the world’s best with strong determination.

I believe what Chopra has done in athletics is akin to what Sunil Gavaskar did in cricket. Gavaskar proved that cricket world records can be broken by an Indian at a time when most considered it impossible to do so. Similarly, Kapil Dev, by leading India to the 1983 World Cup win, proved that India can stun any strong team. Triumphs - personal or as a team - boost the sport in which glories are achieved. You need a leading star and Chopra is the latest.

The picture of a man throwing a javelin was often used as the image for American motivational speaker Les Brown's famous quote which said: “Shoot for the moon and even if you miss you’ll land among the stars.” Chopra aimed high, worked hard and despite many obstacles has clinched a place among India’s greatest sports heroes.

Neeraj Chopra after wining the Asian Athletics Championship in 2017

Sunil Gavaskar became the first batsman to reach the 10,000 run mark, and while many have gone past that mark, he will always be remembered as the first man to reach that landmark. Similarly, Chopra will be remembered as the first man to win gold for India in athletics, and this could be just the beginning.

Also, javelin throw will no longer be the butt of jokes. Many a time, jokes on javelin throw were printed on t-shirts like “What do you call a nervous javelin thrower: Answer: Shake spear. “Another is “when I javelin throw I imagine people I dislike to motivate myself.”

Don’t be surprised if very soon sports academies spring up all over India and specialise in javelin throw.  Some of the well-thought-out headlines in some of the Indian dailies includes one that describes Chopra as ‘The boy with the golden arm’, in Malayalam as Nee Raja (you are the king), ‘A gold for one billion hearts’, etc. speaks about the adoration for this champion who did the impossible. Let many more Chopras emerge from such not-so-popular sports and catch world attention.