Neeraj Chopra: “It’s not that my Olympic medal is everything and so I don’t need to do more.”
Neeraj Chopra has become quite popular ever since he won the gold medal in the Olympics. Responding to the sublime and the absurd in cavalcades and on stages, with the powerful and among the masses, on TV and video. Chopra has shone more with his gold and his 1,000-megawatt smile, but no matter how giddy the pedestal he is been placed on, he is never forgotten that he wants to be more than simply that medal. “When I began competing abroad, I became aware of Abhinav Bindraji… I came to understand that winning an Olympic gold medal was quite unusual for India. that only one person had triumphed in it,” adds Chopra, who is now just the second Indian to win an Olympic gold medal on their own in Tokyo.
“I am the same person that I was,” he comforts me. He goes on, “Obviously, it is great that people are aware of you and value you, but the better news is that my sport is now recognized by all.” They would not understand even after you told them about it earlier. Presently, every Indian is aware of what a javelin is. That makes me really delighted. The disorienting fallout from Tokyo has also made him realize how crucial it is to safeguard both his sport and himself. “Javelin ke bina, mujhe lagta hai Neeraj hai hi nahin,” he exclaims.
A star is born
Chopra discovered a side of himself in an eight-and-a-half-foot, eight hundred-gram carbon fiber flying machine that no one would have imagined when his family put a 13-year-old on a bus from Khandra, which has 2,153 residents according to the 2011 census, and headed towards a stadium in Panipat. His uncle had insisted that he go there so the plump adolescent could lose weight. It seems as though the javelin found him among the numerous sports available at the stadium. The javelin’s ease of throw and limb flexibility surprised the novice’s early coaches when they saw it in action. It seems as though the athlete within Chopra was just waiting for the javelin to release him.
He claims, “It is a part of me.” “It is associated with my name—my pehchaan is the javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra. I have a connection to it. This has always been the case. Before the glory, the medals, and this victory.
The off-season for athletes is currently underway, but in 2022, Chopra is aware that he will be the focus of attention in three major competitions: the Asian Games (September), the Commonwealth Games (July–August), and the World Athletic Championships (July). He is also aware that eventually he will have to remove his public persona. Although many now believe that Neeraj manaa nahi karta, I will have to decline. They will not like it, but I do not skimp on my training. I shall fold my hands and declare that this cannot continue. The javelin champion says, “If I accomplish all of this, then I will not be able to do anything more in my sport.” He intends to put the gold aside before it becomes too much to bear.
I am an athlete, and working is what I do. It is not like I do not need to work harder because I have an Olympic medal. People keep in mind people who medal many times at the Olympics. Invoking the legends of Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt, he hopes to channel the excitement around Indian athletics into providing millions of kids with access to opportunities that he was denied. Chopra is aware that he needs to use his position to promote Indian track and field.
He is a lively and articulate speaker who likes to use Haryanvi proverbs in his Hindi speaking. His “greatest dream” for Indian boys and girls, according to him, is to have more fields, coaches, and frequent contests. “If not a common area among neighboring villages, then one in close proximity to each village.” and with mentors to help them along. Every age group in Europe has fifteen or twenty competitions during the season each year. Children are able to track their development through competitions. If not, you merely train without knowing where you are headed.
A league of his own
With a new Sony DSLR at his disposal, the most sought-after sports star in India want to maintain his privacy, pursue his passion for photography, and resist being the subject of arbitrary photos or social media storylines. He stepped up when phony outcry about Pakistani javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem using Chopra’s javelin in practice before Chopra’s maiden Olympic throw surfaced on alarmist news networks. “I would encourage everyone not to use me and my words as a medium to further your vested interests and propaganda,” Chopra wrote on Twitter in an attempt to reach out to his followers. Sports help us to learn unity and camaraderie. With more than 4.9 million followers on Instagram, he giggles and says, “I am going to keep my shoulder safe, give it a rest.”
Apart from showcasing her amazing acting skills in the Cred commercial, Instagram informs us that Chopra’s final action before leaving for a Maldives holiday was visiting “Bindraji” in Chandigarh. Upon discovering Chopra’s obsession with dogs, Bindra gave him a puppy named Tokyo as a gift. The name alone does not convey the synchronicity. Prior to the Olympics, Chopra confided in Manisha Malhotra, JSW Sports’ head of sports excellence and scouting, about his greatest dog breed: a golden retriever.
This is the first time a male athlete has been on the cover of Vogue India. Movie stars come and go, but no sportsman appeared before Chopra. not even players of cricket. The combination is not as strange as it first seems. Chopra had his own flair long before he was well-known. While in school, he wore his hair long. It turned into a ponytail while competing, much to the dismay of rural Haryana. “I was requested to trim it. “Oh, please stop; it is so hot.” “Well, chop that hair; you can not be an athlete with long hair.” They simply grew accustomed to it because I kept it.
He used to pass the time sorting through export cast-off tees strewn onto bed sheets near the Panipat highway, while waiting for the bus home. “I always dreamed of being able to walk into a Nike or Adidas store and purchase their clothing and shoes,” adds Chopra, who currently has endorsement agreements with Tata AIA Life Insurance and the massive online education company Byju’s. In addition to saying he “likes formals too, including jeans with a leather or standard jacket,” he expresses his excitement for his new athletic gear.
At the age of 19, the Indian army added him to its sports quota in 2016 after witnessing a teenager compete in athletics at the National Institute for Sport in Patiala, where they were throwing javelins over 80 meters. Chopra required some persuasion from his parents, but he was hooked. After all, legends of their bravery abound in the villages of his native state of Haryana, which annually sends thousands of its citizens into the armed forces. Interviewer: “And who does not adore the uniforms?” Chopra exclaimed.
Chopra is affable and courteous, and despite his notable success, he has maintained his modesty. “I do not take on tasks just to brag. Not in a manner. I engage in it because I enjoy it and find it fulfilling. His hair is cut short these days since it gets in the way of the sport, but India is obsessed with his look. Olympic gold medals accomplish just that—they draw attention to a Haryanvi village child amid high couture. All of this, though, is largely due to the boy’s actions—stepping up in competitive sports and making the globe his village.
Styled by Priyanka Kapadia; Photographer’s assistant: Aditya Sinha; Photographer’s agency: Feat Artists; Hair: Yianni Tsapatori/Faze Management; Makeup: Kiran Denzongpa/Feat Artists; Assistant Stylist: Naheed Driver; Production: Imran Khatri Productions; Visuals Editor: Jay Modi; Art Director: Snigdha Kulkarni; Entertainment Director: Megha Mehta
