The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Neeraj’s throwback Thursday
The 19-year-old javelin thrower extends his rich vein of form and qualifies for the World Championship
LAST JULY, Neeraj Chopra achieved what no Indian had done before— become a World champion. At the Under-20 World Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, the teenaged javelin thrower registered a distance of 86.48 metres, a world junior record and a senior Indian national mark.
Chopra should have been on the flight to Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics. But as fate would have it, his breakthrough performance came just 12 days after the qualification period for the Olympics ended.
Indian athletics is so starved of individual Olympic glory and hence Neeraj missing the Games was considered a 'what if' moment. What gave credence to those who indulged in wishful thinking was the official results sheet, which showed Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago as the bronze-medal winner with a throw of 85.38 metres.
In reality, Neeraj was aiming to qualify for the Olympics but a back injury in April last year had put paid to his plans. However, he still managed to pull off the gold-medal winning throw at the Under-20 championship that is still being talked about.
But Neeraj has been itching to rub shoulders with the big boys of javelin throw. On Thursday, he won a silver at the second-leg of the Asian Grand Prix in Jiaxing, China. He registered a throw of 83.32 an improvement on his 82.11 in the first leg of the Asian GP. The distance helped him qualify for the World Championships, for which the qualifying standard was set at 83 metres.
Chao-tsun Cheng of Chinese Taipei won the gold with an effort of 86.92m. “The world championship is a great platform to test yourself against the top athletes from around the world. I don't think I will feel pressure of expectation. I would rather say that I am looking forward to fulfil the hopes people have placed on me. I will have to work hard to ensure that I peak at the right time and I am consistent. But I am ready to give it my best,” Chopra said on Thursday.this has not been the best of times of India's javelin throw campers.
Wading through uncertainty
Australian-born coach Garry Clavert put in his papers earlier this month after his request for a contract extension till the Tokyo Olympics didn't go down well with officials. Uncertainly had gripped the throwers with a change in coaching staff imminent and the season just beginning. However, Chopra's effort is bound to lift the spirits in the camp. The Athletics Federation of India had named Calvert as one of the coaches for the three-leg Asian Grand Prix series but his long-term future with the Indian throwers remain uncertain.
With Calvert by his side, Chopra has a coach of repute who believes in him. In the past, the Australian has said that if Chopra can continue to improve and make the transition from junior to senior, then he will be registering some 'special distances'. The Rio Games, according to Calvert, was a competition that had come too early in Neeraj's career.
But the World Championships this year was an event which was earmarked for Neeraj to show his potential at the senior level. “I wanted to qualify for the Rio Olympics but I was injured in the run-up and that was unfortunate. But I am happy that I could make the cut for the World Championships early in the season,” Neeraj said.
Neena leaps to gold
In the women's long jump, Neena Varakil won gold with a leap of 6.37 metres in her sixth and final effort but failed to meet the qualifying norms for the World Championships, which is set at 6.75 metres. China's Xu Xiao Ling also had a best jump of 6.37m but she had to unfortunately settle for a silver on count back.
Neena's best three efforts were 6.37m, 6.32m and 6.32m, while Ling managed 6.37m. 6.32m and 6.22m. This is Neena's second medal in the Asian Grand Prix series after her 6.46 in the first leg, which, in fact, had won her a silver.
India also won four silver medals and a bronze in Jiaxing. Apart from Neeraj's silver, gold medallist in the first leg Manpreet Kaur, the shot putter, settled for second place with 17.46m. Sprinter Dutee Chand also clinched a silver in women's 100m dash with a timing of 11.57secs. In women's 800m event, Tintu Luka won her second silver with 2:06:32. Shot putter Om Prakash Karhana won his second bronze of the Asian Grand Prix series with a decent effort of 18.73m.
In reality, Neeraj was aiming to qualify for the Olympics but a back injury in April last year had put paid to his plans. However, he still managed to pull off the gold-medal winning throw at the Under-20 championship that is still being talked about.