Paris Olympics 2024: Why India Needs Neeraj Chopra To Be The ‘BEST’ Neeraj Chopra Again

When Indians around the world woke up on Wednesday (August 7) morning there was a feeling of hope and excitement around the Paris Olympics 2024. Within space of 15 minutes on Tuesday (August 6), two remarkable Indian athletes – Neeraj Chopra and Vinesh Phogat – had given hope of something special at these Olympic Games.

First Vinesh Phogat defeated Japanese ‘phenom’ Yui Susaki – the first international wrestler ever to achieve this feat. Moments later Neeraj Chopra came up with a mind-boggling throw of 89.34m on his first attempt at qualifying for the men’s javelin final. It was Neeraj’s best throw of the season and raised visions of Tokyo Olympics 2021 magic being recreated again in Paris.

While what Neeraj achieved was special, but India’s biggest Olympic athlete took the stage to appreciate what his countrymate had achieved just moments ago. Vinesh was far from a medal then, she was yet to win her quarterfinal and semifinal matches but Neeraj could appreciate the enormity of her achievement.

“This is extraordinary. To beat Susaki is unreal. The effort she has put in shows. After what she has been through, I pray for her that she wins a medal. All best to her,” Neeraj said after qualifying for the final, which takes place on Thursday (August 8) night.

Neeraj knows Vinesh’s achievements go well beyond the mat. She stands for something much bigger in the larger scheme of things when she stood up to the tyranny of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Vinesh, along with wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, spent long night at Jantar Mantar and the streets of Delhi, were dragged ruthlessly like petty criminals by the Delhi Police to end their protest and almost driven to throwing away her international medals earned through blood sweat and tears.

 

यह देखकर मुझे बहुत दुख हो रहा है | There has to be a better way to deal with this. https://t.co/M2gzso4qjX

— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) May 28, 2023

Even qualifying for the Paris Olympics 2024 was not given as she lost the Olympic qualification match for the 53kg category to Anju 10-0 and critics questioned if she was indeed a ‘khota sikka’ billed by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. She was left with no alternative but to move down to 50kg category – a move which was brutal on her body as we found out on Wednesday morning.

Never has 100 grams of weight weighed more heavily on a nation that it did with Vinesh Phogat. It seems whole of India (or most of it) are in a state of mourning – not because a medal has been lost but no one deserved it more than Vinesh Phogat.

India needs a ‘Neeraj Chopra’ GOLD

Now a day later Neeraj Chopra will take centre stage as the men’s javelin final gets underway at the Stade de France. Neeraj Chopra needs to be the ‘BEST’ Neeraj Chopra on the grandest sporting stage. Neeraj needs a win not only for India but to provide a healing balm for the pain that most people are feeling after the heartbreak suffered by Vinesh Phogat.

Only a handful of men’s javelin throwers have achieved the rare feat of defending their title. Eric Lemming (Sweden; 1908 and 1912), Jonni Myyra (Finland; 1920 and 1924), Jan Zelezny (Czech Republic; 1992, 1996 and 2000) and Andreas Thorkildsen (Norway; 2004 and 2008) are the only ones.

No other Indian athlete has won two Olympic gold medals. Shuttler PV Sindhu (one silver, one bronze), wrestler Sushil Kumar (one silver, one bronze) and shooter Manu Bhaker (two bronze) are India’s only multiple Olympic medallists.

That he is capable of something otherwordly was displayed in the qualification round itself. His effort was the second-best qualifying throw the Olympics has ever seen after the 89.39m registered by the legendary Jan Zelezny at 2000 Sydney Games.

But the Indian will face stiff competition from the likes of Anderson Peters (personal best of 93.07), who came up with his season’s best of 88.63m in the qualifying. There is also Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem in the fray, who came up with 90-plus metre throw to beat Anderson Peters at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which Neeraj Chopra missed due to injury.

There were doubts about Neeraj’s fitness in the lead up to Paris Olympics 2024 with his abductor injury. But he has dispelled all of those doubts with a phenomenal throw in qualifying. The question is can the Indian replicate this feat come the final?

It is Neeraj Chopra’s shot at sporting immortality but the gold medal is one that the country needs far more than the athlete right now.