Tryst with destiny: Neeraj Chopra lives up to the hype by winning Tokyo 2020 javelin throw gold
Chopra became the first Indian to win an athletics medal and only the second Indian to win an individual Olympics gold
About three weeks ago, as Neeraj Chopra logged in for an interaction with the Indian media from his training base in Uppsala, Sweden, he knew most of the questions would be directed at Tokyo 2020 and how he would handle the pressure of being one of India's biggest medal hopes.
There was also a small matter of the baggage of independent India never having won a medal in track and field despite boasting of legends like Milkha Singh and PT Usha.
The shaggy-haired 23-year-old didn’t need to be reminded of just how high the stakes were. He didn’t make any medal promises but was quietly confident that he could deal with the pressure. He had done so at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and later that year at the 2018 Asian Games. Granted, he had never quite been on a stage as grand as the Olympics, but he knew a little bit about delivering on expectations.
One look at his resume and you’d know why.
Chopra burst onto the scene when he won gold at World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland with a junior record throw of 86.48m – an effort which would have also been enough to win him a bronze at Tokyo 2020. Since then, he has won four gold medals: at the 2016 South Asian Games, 2017 Asian Championships, 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2018 Asian Games. Every gold medal a stepping stone to bigger things.
On Wednesday, Chopra made his Olympic debut as he competed in the qualification round of the Tokyo 2020 javelin event. The Indian powered in and threw the spear to a distance of 86.65m on his very first attempt. The best throw of the day. Pressure, what pressure?
His broad shoulders seemed perfectly capable of carrying the burden of history, and shrugging it off.
It was more of the same in the final on Saturday.
Chopra laid down the marker on his very first attempt with a throw of 87.03m. As one athlete after another, including World No. 1 Johannes Vetter, ran in and hurled the javelin, no one went within fighting distance of Chopra’s throw. The Indian was the only one who bettered it, recording a distance of 87.58m on his second attempt to run away with the gold. No fuss, no come-from-behind drama.
Chopra was emphatic as he became the first Indian to win a track and field event and only the second Indian to win an individual gold at the Olympics. He had lived up to the faith placed in him.