Emulating Colossus, with no pretense whatsoever. A fierce competitor, superstar in Indian sports and a meek person who openly admitted what he cannot do and what his aspirations are; that’s Neeraj Chopra. An Indian two-time Olympic medal winner would have all of these.
While Chhopra may be vying for the top prize, he won’t be envious if it is won by his competitors. He doesn’t pretend to be indifferent to brand endorsements because he actually wants them and knows how important money is. But never at any time would he barter training for such an opportunity.
After winning silver at Paris Olympics, Neeraj Chopra had a 17-minute interaction with the Indian media. This showed his humility as well as sense of humour. “Even Sarri’s throw was foul sirf doosri hi theek thi (all throws are fouls except the second one),” Chopra interrupted when a reporter started asking him about his throw eliciting laughter from those present.
He had no hesitation in admitting that five of his six shots were fouls.
When volunteers asked for answers in English so that some foreign scribes could understand them better, it reflected on Chopra’s simplicity. “Now I need to motivate myself to speak English just like I motivated myself to compete,” he said with a smile prompting more laughter.
An overseas journalist asked Neeraj Chopra about the rivalry between him and Arshad Nadeem from Pakistan. Speaking in English, Chopra praised their high level of play and acknowledged Nadeem’s great performance. Afterward also Chopra replied: “It was a really great game Maybe one of the greatest games in history Arshad bowled very much good I was also fit but I don’t know about my performance today The runway wasn’t so good,”
Conversation then shifted towards Chopra’s absence during the season leading up to the 2024 Paris Olympics, which prompted speculation about a possible injury. The athlete explained that he missed the Paris Diamond League in July, but it was not part of his planned tournament schedule.
“Of course I needed to play more, but then I would send those carefully drafted messages that said the pressure was on me and I wasn’t going to play,” Chopra revealed how he managed despite health concerns. However, there are challenges faced when declining invitations from event organizers.
Chopra even participated in some tournaments just to maintain a good relationship with the organizers although his performance was not great. “He continued: There were a few games where I only participated for the organizers so that they would not feel uncomfortable. In my opinion, I always thought that I was engage in competition. If I didn’t go, they would say that I was looking for excuses.” For me personally as much as possible.
He expressed his love for the game and how much he wanted to be involve in playing as many games as possible. Nevertheless, in case he has to back out from an event, he acknowledged the need for effective communication within his team. “I make plans but then you tell your team ‘Let’s draft a good message and say sorry for quitting,’” he laughed but one could sense his disappointment at missing the game.
Chopra remains committed to his sport and to the best of his ability despite the challenges that come with it. “There is no joy greater than playing. You work hard just to compete. I will do what I can with whatever power God has given me,” he concluded stressing his devotion to the javelin throw and hunger for excellence.
Challenging any athlete, especially Neeraj Chopra, is how he balances sponsorship and training during the Olympic cycle? After Tokyo Olympics, he honestly answered that he focused on competing and used opportunities like this to partner with brands whenever they came along.
“After Tokyo Olympics my focus was on game first then only got a chance of connecting with brand. It’s not easy to have brands following you. If you get it, why would you give up this Chance.”
“This also paves way for the next generation (children), ‘Nahi to shreer hi tootega khel khel key, last mein kuch nahi rahega’.”
It is rare for athletes like Chopra to respond so openly. He described how he maintains harmony by prioritizing movement control; “I am going to balance it out therefore. The priority in life is sports. This being an Olympic year, whatever commitments I have will be fulfill in the first part of 2020.” You’ve seen me outside since Tokyo.
“While she was disappoint about not being able to defend her title, Chopra took it gracefully saying that it was Nadeem’s day. Even when volunteers tried getting him out of mixed zone, he kept coming back and forth signing autographs and taking selfies with fans showing us that he knows very well how important it is to strike a balance between several responsibilities as well as his difficulty in refusing people anything.”
