Neeraj keeps promise, makes history
WONDERBOY The 20yearold from Haryana bettered his own national record with a javelin throw of 88.06 metres
JAKARTA: Greatness was thrust on Neeraj Chopra the day he was named India’s flag-bearer here. As he showed on Monday, it sat lightly on his broad shoulders.
On way to Jakarta, the junior world champion had everything going for him. He was consistently throwing the javelin beyond 85 metres and the national record of 87.43, at the Diamond League in May, was further proof that it would be impossible to beat him here.
On Monday, the 20-year-old from Panipat notched up the biggest achievement of his career when he won gold with a throw of 88.06 metres, besting the rest by almost six metres and, in the process, improving his national mark. Neeraj is the first Indian javelin thrower to win an Asian Games gold.
The portends were good — Indian athletes had been bagging silver medals regularly here — and it was expected Neeraj would add a golden lining to the secondplace finishes. Neeraj gave an indication of his superb form when he hurled the javelin 83.46m on his first attempt. That itself would have been enough for the young man to win gold. Liu Qizhen, the silver-medallist from China, recorded a personal best and still finished on 82.22m.
Neeraj’s first throw was just an appetiser and the humongous third heave of 88.06 looked like it had left the field awestruck. From there on, celebrations broke out among the Indians in the stands though each of the 13 throwers still had three more attempts.
His long hair fluttering in the evening breeze, the poster boy of Indian athletics kept up the tempo with four clean throws, each crossing the 83-metre mark. His sequence read 83.46, X, 88.06, 83.25 and 86.36. For a moment it even felt like the Asian Games record of 89.15m, set by China’s Zhao Qinggang in 2014, was well within his grasp. Who knows, but for the sultry conditions it might have been overhauled?
Neeraj’s training in Finland, which has produced some of the world’s greatest javelin throwers, has perhaps made the difference. He had flown directly from his training base to the Games. In his hour of glory there were some emotional moments when someone reminded him of his former coach Gary Calvert --- who had guided him to the world junior championships gold --- who died last month. “When I was informed about his demise, He was my strength and I will always miss him,” said Neeraj.