All eyes were glued to the television screens on the evening of October 4 as India's biggest Athletics star Neeraj Chopra took centre stage in the recently-concluded Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou. Everybody expected the Tokyo Olympic gold medallist to defend his Asian Games crown this time around. And although he did it with some style, it almost was not meant to be.
Neeraj's iconic celebration after he throws a successful attempt is now familiar among the masses following his growth since the 87.58m throw in Japan in 2021 that secured him the gold medal. A familiar sight was seen in the very first throw at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, nicknamed 'the Big Lotus' when Neeraj shouted out his appreciation at the effort, which had seemingly crossed 88 metres. That was when things went wrong.
Neeraj Chopra's dramatic turn of events in Hangzhou
Neeraj had to redo his javelin throw after his initial attempt was nullified due to a 'technical issue'. The organisers asked the Olympic champion to retake his throw. In his first attempt, Neeraj had thrown beyond 88 metres, positioning him well for a gold medal had the throw been counted. Unfortunately, his subsequent official throw recorded 82.38 metres.
When Neeraj made that initial unofficial throw, it was reminiscent of his gold-medal-winning performance at the Tokyo Olympics, suggesting he was on track for another outstanding achievement.
From Neeraj vs Kishore: Competition within Team India's Camp
Bringing him back on track after a couple of poor throws was the performance of his compatriot Kishore Kumar Jena, who, in the meantime, had taken the lead in the competition and also set a personal best with his throws.
Jena's attempts spurred Neeraj on, and he worked to get his concentration back. His fourth attempt was massive, a gold-winning throw of 88.88, a metre more than his Olympic throw. But Neeraj being Neeraj, attributed his return to form to Kishore Jena's massive efforts, and not his own.
"It was a very good throw... more than 88m. So when it did not get measured it felt very bad. It was a very good throw that got wasted. But I knew I had more chances, so I threw again. The best thing was that Jena had also thrown a very good attempt, so it became a very competitive environment. I pushed myself as well because of this," he exclusively told Sports Tak during the official felicitation ceremony for the 29 medal-winning athletes at the Asian Games.
TO Neeraj and Jena: A bond beyond competition
During the event, he not only fought the adversity of confusion, and maybe bias, but also stood in the corner of his teammate (and direct opponent) to show his prowess as a leader. This was exemplified when Jena's second attempt was deemed a foul despite replays putting his feet well within the line.
Neeraj stood up and went and rectified the situation. He ensured that the attempt was counted, which made him more of an idol and less of a competitor, as Jena rightly put it. "Neeraj bhai is my idol. I respect him a lot. He is as good a person as he is a Javelin Thrower. Working with him makes me feel good, feel different. He helps take off some of the pressure from my shoulders as well," said Kishore, who won silver behind Neeraj with a massive throw worth 87.54.
With the Paris Olympics coming and both these athletes jetting off to France in 2024, all eyes will be on them again. Together, they have conquered Asia. Can the Olympic stage be their next gambit together?
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