Neeraj Chopra was yet to make his last throw in the men’s javelin throw event at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday but the gold medal for India had been confirmed by then. As the second last throw was made and none could go beyond the marker of 87.58m that Neeraj had set, history had been created. It was with all the celebration and ecstasy in the background that Neeraj made his last throw of the event, which went to the distance of 84.24m. Immediately after, Neeraj broke into his celebration and went on his knees as if in disbelief that he had finally achieved his biggest dream.
Neeraj became the first Indian to win an athletics gold at the Olympics and it was independent India’s first-ever medal in the athletics. Neeraj became only the second invidual Olympic gold medallist from India and won the country’s only gold in Tokyo. Neeraj realised the dreams of all the athletics legends – Milkha Singh, PT Usha and Anju Bobby George – who missed an Olympic medal by a whisker in their time.
Neeraj shared the emotions he went through when the gold medal was confirmed and till the time he went for his last throw.
“When my last throw was left and I had won gold. I can’t explain, I was in competition mode but when I got the gold, I can’t explain I felt like what had happened. My mind was everywhere but I focussed on my throw and I did it with all the happiness and it went well. Rio I did feel bad that it got left by a few days, AFI tried hard to get me through as well and then injury came but it all worked out. It was in my mind that when the Olympics got postponed, I didn’t want to take it negatively and that I have a year more. I am very happy with the gold, sad about how many people have suffered with Covid, but the gold is satisfying,” he said in the virtual press conference.
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Upon speaking with Athletics Federation of India vice president Anju, he thanked the long jump legend and said that he and the other young athletes respect them all a lot and they walking on the same footsteps and hope they keep doing better and better.
Neeraj’s gold medal distance came with just his second throw and he admitted that as soon as he threw the javelin, he knew he had done a better distance than his first throw. He, however, said despite doing his best distance, he wasn’t thinking that it will win him the gold because that could actually be dangerous for him in the rest of the competition.
Neeraj said he always look to make a good first few throws in order to gain an edge in the competition. “I feel like if we make a good first throw, other athletes get under pressure. So my first throw was very important. Vetter had made great throws and he was in great form but for some reason, he couldn’t come in best form. When the first throw goes well, you get confidence and other athletes get under pressure too,” he said. He added that he even tried to go for the Olympic record of 90.57m and he put in a lot of “power and speed” but couldn’t do that.
Neeraj gave an insight into what was going through his mind ahead of the finals. He said that he did have it in his mind that he wanted to win a gold in athletics but also that India had not won a gold in Tokyo, and he wanted to give that to the country as well.
“I don’t know about pressure but I had it in my mind that in athletics, I have to get gold and then in Tokyo, we had no gold so I wanted that too. But on the runway, I don’t think about it and I just focus on the throw. I think that is why I don’t feel too much pressure because when I am with the javelin in hand, I can focus on the throw,” he explained.
Neeraj could not hide his elation over the win as he showed his gold medal proudly during the press conference. He thanked the federation, Sports Authority of India and the government for all their support and helping him get competition experience ahead of the Olympics.
Neeraj said he did not feel too much pressure of being in the Olympics because he had competed with these men before. “The most important thing this year was to play competitions and I spoke to everyone and everyone supported me. The 2-3 international competitions I got was very important for me. It was the Olympics but it didn’t feel like I had come to something new. I didn’t feel pressure because I thought I have played with them and I could focus on my throw. The comeback from injury was great, it is my hard work but thank you to everyone.”
“I am very happy, I can’t explain it. There was a time of worry due to injury but everyone supported me, the rehab was good, the surgery was successful. It took some time to come back, 2019 went to waste and coronavirus also came but I would thank the government and everyone for the international experience. I had enrolled for a competition because I just had it in mind that I wanted competition after injury because all the distances were near me but I was asked not to risk myself and in hindsight it was a good decision.”
Neeraj remembered all those people he started his journey with and said one should never forget them. “They helped me a lot and taught me a lot. Jaiveer (who was Neeraj’s senior and taught him initially), he is very dedicated to javelin and thanks to AFI, he is a coach and is teaching other kids. He gets very happy whenever I win any medal.”
Neeraj’s biggest competitor was expected to be Germany’s Johannes Vetter, whose personal best is 97.76m. Ahead of the competition, Vetter had said that Neeraj wouldn’t be able to come near him but on Saturday, he couldn’t get near Neeraj. Neeraj said he chooses not to say anything but feel world rankings don’t matter in the Olympics. “I don’t want to say much because I respect Vetter and I honestly felt sad seeing him go off. There are times when the biggest athletes can’t also perform but I gave my best,” he said.
Neeraj further shared his journey to the gold medal and hoped that more and more athletes will break barriers for the country in future.
“Athletics is a game in which improvements come with time. Javelin is a very technical event. When we started, there were technical faults that I improved. Then foreign coaches came and I trained with them and made the junior world record. Then my coach right now understands javelin technique very well and plans very well for me. Jaiveer my senior who I trained with, he has helped me a lot. It is said that the base has to be strong and that is what he gave me.
“An athlete should be focussed. We should focus on both training and competition. When a coach gives me workout and I don’t think like it is given to me by coach so will have to do, I put all my heart into it. Whenever my training is good, I feel confident. Olympics gold is not just a one-day thing, a lot of hard work goes into it and I am just very happy.
“There is gold in shooting and there are a lot of golds in hockey but in athletics, it was thought that India can’t produce a world-class athlete. Our legends remained by a whisker but now this was important after all the hard work the federation is putting. India has a lot of talent and I hope it all comes forward. Now that I have won gold, I feel like we Indians can do anything.”
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