Six years ago, Neeraj Chopra watched in awe as a group of young javelin throwers fine-tuned their skills. There was something about the flying spear that floored him. He tried it out and realised that he could pull off some long throws too.
It did not take him long to break junior and senior National records. And in July last year, the young man from Khandra village in Panipet became the country’s first-ever world champion in athletics after winning the under-20 World Championships gold in Poland.
That gold, which also broke the under-20 world record (86.48m), brushed away the disappointment of failing to qualify for the Olympics. He had gone all out on the road to Rio and after a series of meets – once travelling to four countries in the space of 20 days – had hurt his back. As painful as the injury was the knowledge that the record under-20 Worlds throw would have fetched him bronze at Rio.
Clearly, Chopra is the most talented thrower the country has ever had, and Australian Garry Calvert, who guided him to the world title, feels that the youngster is a rare find.
“He is the best talent I’ve seen in 30 years,” says Calvert in a chat with The Hindu.
After a certain distance, around the 85-metre mark, progress in javelin tends to slow down.
“Well, for some, yes, but Chopra has shown he has the capacity, he has the capacity to visualise and feel his throws. The development plan I had would have seen him do 90m in 12 months and 92 to 95m in two years,” reveals Calvert.
95 metres!
That would definitely put him in the medal range at the Olympics, a medal that has remained elusive in athletics so far.
So, is Chopra capable of winning the country’s first?
“Yes, if he has three more years of development,” says Calvert.
“That’s the goal… and getting past 90m too,” says the 19-year-old Chopra, who will be making his senior World Championships debut in London in August after qualifying in the recent Asian Grand Prix in China.
But he will not have the benefit of Calvert’s guidance. Like all good things, Calvert’s association with Indian athletics did not last long. In fact, it turned sour in a year’s time and the Aussie left the country for China on Thursday.
“I had expected to be in India for more than six years. [But] there is a huge lack of understanding about high performance in India. For seven months, I have been trying to make the AFI (Athletics Federation of India) and SAI (Sports Authority of India) respond to the need to lock me into a longer contract,” said Calvert, from New Delhi, a day before his departure to Beijing.
“And when you have pressure to produce at the Olympics, you need no interference. China offered me security of tenure with a four-year contract and I will be the National coach there.”
Calvert feels that Chopra’s chances of success will reduce if he is based in India.
“He is not self-coached, he needs a coach to mentor and develop him in his skills and elite understanding. And he should not be staying in India but in Germany.”
When asked whether he is open to coaching Chopra in China, the Australian replied, “It would be good for all.”
AFI has plans of sending Chopra abroad as well. The Haryana youngster is keen, too.
“I would prefer Germany or Finland. But I will have to talk to my sponsors, JSW,” says Chopra whose father is a farmer.
“I will miss Garry, he has helped me a lot, with technique, endurance. He also motivated me.”
Calvert feels that every effort should be made to field Chopra – currently the world’s eighth best thrower with his recent 83.32m – in the Diamond League.
The young man offers hope… it’s now time to move mountains to ensure that Indian athletics gets its first Olympic medal.
NEERAJ’S PROGRESSION
2014 70.19
2015 81.04
2016 86.48
2017 83.32
YARDSTICKS
World record: 98.48 (Jan Zelezny)
Best in 2017: 88.01 (Ioannis Kiriazis)
MEDAL TERRITORY
At the Olympics
2008 Gold 90.57 | Silver 86.64 | Bronze 86.16
2012 Gold 84.58 | Silver 84.12* | Bronze 83.34*
2016 Gold 90.30 | Silver 88.24 | Bronze 85.38
* The silver medal mark of 84.51 was struck off in 2016 after the athlete, Oleksandr Pyatntsya, was disqualified for a doping violation. The distances here are the original bronze and fourth position’s.
