In cricket, Virat Kohli has Rohit Sharma and many others. PV Sindhu has a men’s team in badminton, who are no less than achievers. But in athletics, Chopra is at the top. Becoming a polestar is not easy, but he has driven himself with utmost maturity and presided over a revolution, winning medals in every event he has participated in. What works or has worked for Chopra? How does he keep himself rooted in spite of all the accolades around him? How is he dealing with the position of India’s new sports superstar? How important was it to him to prove that Tokyo was not an aberration, that he is at this level of elite competitors?
“I don’t play any competition to be an Olympic champion. I always play as Neeraj, just another athlete. All I do is give my 100 percent and prepare as much as I can,” said Chopra when asked how he prepares himself mentally. “Pressure to say hi. Will be there too. But the important thing is that the game is now gaining attention in India. People are following every single contest. They are learning more about spearfishing and more and more people will be playing the game now. ,
2022, it could be argued, was significantly more difficult for him than 2021. In Tokyo, he was a contender, for more medals than gold. India would have been happy if it made the podium and some people expected to sleep.
After Tokyo, things fell apart dramatically. On the one hand, the people did not have enough for him, and on the other, they wanted him to win every competition he played. He was the guy next door and elite athletes all rolled into one. For the 24-year-old, it couldn’t have been easier.
His biggest challenge was finding balance and this is where Chopra stood out. He fulfilled the obligations of being Neeraj Chopra for weeks and months and then managed to switch-off completely. While there were occasional posts on social media, his team, which is vital to success in elite sport, made sure he could focus on training alone. Losing weight close to 14 kg was not easy. Stronger, fitter and smarter, Neeraj 2.0 was ready for battle.
2008 Beijing Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra has often spoken about how difficult it was to deal with the post-Beijing excitement. He had done it all at 26 and there was nothing left for him to try, he argued. However, depression was never a problem for Neeraj.
“If you look at Usain Bolt or Carl Lewis or athletes in their league, it’s about repeating success,” Chopra said. “You can’t be satisfied with an Olympic gold medal. If you can win in Paris and then maybe in Los Angeles, you can call yourself great and that’s what inspires me. I want to do more for my country.”
It was not easy to miss the 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Birmingham, but he made the tough decision with the long-term well being in mind. Commonwealth Games medals would have fetched him some more crores, but now money was no problem for him.
Yes, he hasn’t thrown 90 meters yet. It has become a kind of obsession towards him by his own confession. But going into the new season isn’t a bad thing. He knows he is not there yet, despite having won everything to win. He still wants a world championship gold and could be a second in the 2024 Olympics. And one thing is certain with Neeraj. There will never be any shortage in effort. Whether trying to master English to deal with the global media or getting ready to compete, he will always do his best to give himself the best chance.
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