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Almost one year after becoming India's first track and field Olympic gold medalist, Neeraj Chopra continues to raise benchmarks, break records and win medals. The latest glittering metal in the javelin thrower's trophy cabinet is a World Athletics Championship silver medal.
The very fact that there is a little disappointment in missing out on gold amidst his incredible achievement speaks volumes of the expectations Chopra has shouldered. Let us make no mistake, this is only India's second medal in the history of the World Championships.
Anju Bobby George notably won the first, a bronze at the 2003 edition of the tournament.
It did take a special effort from Anderson Peters to win the gold medal. He casually breached the 90m mark, touted to be the gold standard in javelin throw, three times in six attempts. Chopra finished second-best with an effort of 88.13m.
The way the script at Hayward Field played out was new for the Indian. Chopra is used to delivering his best in the first couple of throws, like he did in Tokyo too, and then letting the field play catch up.
Read: World Athletics Championships 2022: Neeraj Chopra wins silver, Twitterati cannot contain excitement
Sunday (July 24) was different. Neeraj Chopra started with a foul, while Anderson Peters breached the 90m mark, with a 90.21m throw. The 24-year-old's second attempt was mediocre as he managed 82.39m. Peters responded with 90.46m.
At this stage, a medal looked unlikely, leaving Neeraj Chopra in unfamiliar territory. He sent the spear soaring to 86.37m in his third attempt but he knew it was just the start. Chopra said in a virtual interaction after his incredible achievement:
"The thought that I am an Olympic champion and so I have to also be the World Champion never crossed my mind."
He continued:
"It was challenging for me. I was confident that a good throw will surely come. I was making the effort (in the first three throws) but it (big throw) was not coming. I just believed in myself and gave my best."
Neeraj Chopra's decisive fourth attempt
As he warmed up for his fourth throw, Neeraj Chopra knew it would be decisive. He was just outside the medal contenders list at that stage and knew he had to up the ante.
With an agile and easy run-up, he hit 88.13m and moved to the second spot. The champion in him knew the spear was going the distance the moment he released it. He gave out a huge cry, was all smiles and flashed the victory symbol.
Chopra's fourth attempt was important and decisive as he stormed past Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch, who managed 88.09m with his third throw.
Neeraj Chopra concurred with the fact that the best were in business at Hayward Field.
"The competition was tough and there were a lot of good athletes. The average throws were also good and it became challenging. But I always believed that I could throw well till the end," he said.
The unpredictable winds made it tougher, not just for Chopra but for all the participants. But to win medals on a stage at this level, one has to overcome all odds.
"The conditions were tricky and it was windy today. The wind blowing in from the front was challenging for me and I learnt a lot. It took some time to get warmed up but I still believed that there was a good throw coming," the silver medalist explained.
Neeraj Chopra's coach Dr. Klaus Bartonietz also weighed in and added:
"The Hayward Field is a wonderful one but it is also complicated. In the middle, there is a giant TV screen and the wind blows in from different directions. One can’t predict it. Looking at the qualifications and warm-ups, we knew that the competition would have been tough today."
Neeraj Chopra believes there's more to come
The Haryana-based athlete isn't one to rest on laurels. The very fact that Neeraj Chopra has said many times that he has learnt a lot from this outing shows how much it means to him on missing the gold medal.
"I have learnt a lot today. I am now hungry to change the color of this medal to gold in the next Worlds," he said.
The versatile athlete also knows that while expectations are there for him to win gold every time, he knows it might not always be possible, by his own admission.
He has brought India's second medal at the World Championships and while it is silver, the magnitutde of the achievement is on par with winning an Olympic gold medal. It has given belief that Indian track and field athletes can not only compete against the best in the business but also finish on the podium.
Neeraj Chopra has scripted a legacy in Indian athletics, but in all fairness, he doesn't claim so.
"What Anju Bobby George did back then put India on the global stage. I am happy to win another medal for India and I hope we can win more next time," he said.
Just like Chopra, the whole of India will hope that this is just the start of more laurels to follow.
