When Neeraj Chopra added the World Championship to his Olympic title this Sunday, he completed a rare double for Indian athletes. It is a magnificent achievement in a global sport like track and field. Not quite 25, Chopra has aced the art of turning up with the best throws at the grandest of big occasions to launch India in sporting stratosphere. This time in his slipstream were two other Indians, DP Manu and Kishore Jena, who too finished in the Top 6. In what was a glorious final day of the Budapest World Championships for Indians, Parul Chaudhary finished with a national record in a discipline as varied as the 3,000m steeplechase. The 4x400m quartet of Muhamed Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi and Rajesh Ramesh added to the joy by finishing 5th in the inspiring relay. Indian athletes were excelling in events where the country had virtually no presence till very recently.
While achieving what was unthinkable a decade ago in international track and field, Chopra has managed to strike the perfect balance between being a celebrity everyone wants a piece of and returning to his monkish dedication as an athlete. He shoots for brand endorsements when needed, returns home to host guests at his village and cut ribbons at inaugurations. But when it’s time to train, Chopra can shut out all distractions and focus on the rigours of pre-season conditioning and technical training, staying put abroad so that when the big tournaments are round the corner, he can deliver better than the rest of the field. He is not free of pressure, indeed the stress of delivering every single time he hits the runway weighs down on him. But Chopra has been a true professional in dealing with the pressure that comes with the turf.
The country will hold its collective breath when he attempts his second Olympic gold in Paris next year. The big-throwing German trio, former World champion Anderson Peters and the impressive Pakistan star Arshad Nadeem who have all crossed the 90 m-mark will continue to pose a challenge to him. But given his ability to improve, one can be certain that Chopra will be ready. Given his body of work, the Golden Boy from Haryana can be trusted to take on new challenges, and see them through.
