Opinion Neeraj Chopra: A true champion, beyond jingoism

Chopra has remained unchanged and authentic in how he carries himself after medals, patiently repeating that there are broader horizons than the limited Indo-Pak framing when watching sport

Chopra's respect for the efforts of the man who turned out to be his closest competitor at the Budapest Worlds, Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, has been constant since they first competed.

Shivani Naik

September 2, 2023 09:32 AM IST First published on: Sep 2, 2023 at 07:45 AM IST

He didn’t need self-restraint or tutoring in what to say at the biggest stage in his biggest moment of the year. Being classy comes naturally to world-conqueror Neeraj Chopra. Apart from consistency in his gold-winning throws, Chopra has persistently refrained from allowing his excellence to be repackaged into a dominance marker in Indo-Pak rivalry.

Chopra’s respect for the efforts of the man who turned out to be his closest competitor at the Budapest Worlds, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, has been constant since they first competed. And the warmth is reciprocated in equal measure by the Commonwealth Games champ and 90m+ javelin pro. In these relentlessly rancid political times, this is a welcome throwback to the Milkha Singh-Abdul Khaliq era, both of whom could rise above the trauma of Partition to represent their respective nations without falling into rancour.

But it takes a particular upbringing to not blindly blow in the direction of the wind when you are atop the highest perch. When asked if the gold medal was special since it came pipping a Pakistani, Neeraj’s mother Saroj Devi responded, “Look, it’s a field of sports and everyone comes to compete. Someone or the other wins. So it doesn’t matter if the winner’s from Pakistan or Haryana. It is cause for great happiness. Even if the Pakistani had won, there would be great happiness.”

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Earlier, Chopra was glad that an Indian and Pakistani had taken the top spots in a sport where Europeans had a stranglehold. Maybe the intense effort of training away from the spotlight — that only athletes undergo and can understand — makes them appreciate each other on that one night when they are tossed into that competitive crucible. Reaching the top in track & field is so difficult for a subcontinent with no history in throws that an 88.17m easily finds kinship with a 87.82m. For Chopra to invite Nadeem to join in the photograph was only natural.

Soon after his Tokyo Olympic medal, controversy erupted when social media added a hateful edge of tampering allegation to Chopra saying his javelin was spotted in Nadeem’s hand during the finals. On Twitter, Chopra had put his foot down: “I’d request everyone not to use me and my comments as a medium to further your vested interests… Sports teaches us to be together and united.” He has assiduously stayed on that path where his gold is not allowed to be sullied by jingoism.

Chopra would call up another talented thrower from Pakistan, Muhammad Yasir, after an Asian championship silver to congratulate him. On the eve of the Worlds, he put in a special appeal on social media to expedite the visa process of Indian thrower Kishore Jena who was in danger of missing out. He would even extend congratulations to German Jojo Vetter after a Diamond League win. There was self-assurance and a complete lack of insecurity in lending encouragement to competitors.

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Much is common between Chopra and the previous individual gold medallist, Abhinav Bindra, who too carved out his wins as a battle against his own best score. The duo take immense pride in their gold medals for India and the journeys that took them there, but both have never used the pedestal to look down on anyone consigned to a second position. In effect, they have educated legions of fans in staying graceful when watching sport.

Perhaps, a bigger test for Chopra this year was watching Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and other wrestlers being dragged through the streets after they protested against the wrestling strongman chief Brijbhushan Sharan Singh. This would test if Chopra could stand up in solidarity against a powerful political figure accused of sexual harassment. Chopra turned out to be a sturdy friend and fellow athlete. It wasn’t just in celebratory medal posts that Chopra would lend his decibel, but in tough times, too.

So far, Chopra has remained unchanged in how he carries himself after medals. Indian wins at the highest sporting levels are hard to come by, and one reason fans lose perspective and turn every rare medal jingoistic. It is left to the gold medallist to patiently repeat that there are broader horizons than the Indo-Pak framing when watching sport. With a smooth, flexible action that stays consistent, he wins gold, never needing brute power. Who else but him to firmly put out the rabid fires of muscular nationalism that can char sport?