Paris 2024: Hype over Neeraj Chopra is justified ahead of Summer Games

Add as a preferred source on Google

For romantic relics who have fantasised about an Indian star winning big medals in track and field, the names of Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, Milkha Singh, Sriram Singh will readily come to mind.

Later, legend PT Usha, who missed bronze by an extremely narrow margin in 1984 at the Los Angeles in the 400m hurdles and Anju Bobby George, finishing fifth in long jump at the Athens Olympics in 2004, became the high points. Paris 2024 Special Page

Indeed, if this was all which could quench the thirst of athletic buffs in India, the story was one of sarcasm and ridicule for decades. The joke was, Indians would do well at home meets, where timings and distances registered were, perhaps, far more than reality.

Pessimism and optimism are two different words. If the second word needs definition, one young boy came along, who is now as famous as a cricketer like Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli. No exaggeration, Neeraj Chopra, the smiling young man with a golden arm who flings the javelin into orbit is now looked at as a path-breaker and trendsetter. The word legend has also been used for the cheerful Haryanvi, though, for an active athlete, he is destined for more glory.

Everyone loves Neeraj. No, not just because of his assortment of medals won at every level. What was defining was the gold medal he clinched on August 7, 2021, in Tokyo.

An Olympic medal made the nation fall in love with Neeraj, just as India had embraced Abhinav Bindra as a hero on August 8, 2008, when he gunned down gold in air rifle at the Beijing Olympics. These are two standout medals which belong to each Indian - a billion plus.

As Paris 2024 nears, with just 10 days to go for the opening ceremony along the River Seine, Neeraj carries the expectations and burden of billions. He has the best wishes of all, including many from across the border. Does this not put tons of pressure on Neeraj?

Anyone who has spoken to or seen Neeraj will vouch, apart from the infectious smile, that makes you fall in love with him is his simplicity. He has never refused an autograph or wanting to pose with a fan. At the same time, he is a role model, an icon, who has set the highest standards. For those who think he arrived on the big stage in Tokyo, 2021, during the dark days of the Covid pandemic, wrong.

Neeraj had arrived as a star in his own right, way back in 2018 in Gold Coast, at the Commonwealth Games. People tend to forget, to even win a medal at the Commonwealth Games abroad was not easy, though at CWG 2010 in New Delhi, there were many medals to showcase by India. To win big medals abroad, in Gold Coast and then the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, Neeraj made people sit up and take notice.

People at home may have thought he was good. But did they think he was an Olympic medal prospect? The answer is a "no" because, in the lead-up to Tokyo, there was darkness all around because of the pandemic. That Neeraj dealt with all the extreme conditions and flung the javelin to win gold with 87.58 metres was mind-blowing.

Support for Neeraj was like a tsunami refusing to recede. From Tokyo to New Delhi and then a Bharat Darshan of sorts, Neeraj was celebrated after that medal win.

The trend was dangerous, Neeraj had started putting on weight. Full credit to all folks in the AFI (Athletics Federation of India), the decision to keep Neeraj away from home was important. The support he has received from the Indian government cannot be calculated in monetary terms, every rupee spent on him is worth it.

In three years, Neeraj has won almost every possible medal, from the World Championship to the Diamond Leagues and again a massive gold medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in 2023. It is this consistency, the willingness to work hard, stay composed, and not get carried away by emotions and expectations, which defines Neeraj the hero.

He knows Paris is not just a dream. Forget the adductor niggle, he will be in good shape for the big day in Paris. Today, Neeraj and India do not fear a difficult field. It is vice versa.

The world fears Neeraj Chopra as he can deal with sunshine, clouds, a drizzle and even the toughest field. If Neeraj is away from India and on the job with his entire team of physios, coaches, strength experts and so on, he is readying himself.

Never before has a track and field champion from India ever been so hyped before like this, days before an Olympics. The good part, it is the global diaspora which looks at Neeraj Chopra as a world-beater. Yes, fingers crossed till he delivers in Paris.