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          The Neeraj effect: How an Olympic champion has helped lift Indian sport

          Neeraj Chopra poses for pictures after winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics. Matthias Hangst/Getty Images
          • Shyam Vasudevan
          Aug 7, 2023, 12:30 PM

          August 7, 2021. Neeraj Chopra wins the javelin throw gold at the Olympics with a throw of 87.58m. It's India's first-ever Olympic gold medal in track and field.

          Two years on, the effect of Neeraj's historic feat has gone beyond javelin, beyond track and field, too, and touched athletes and sports Neeraj wouldn't normally have been connected with.

          Some of it is obvious: August 7 has been christened "National Javelin Day."

          Some of it is understandable, how Neeraj inspires younger javelin throwers.

          Some of it, though, is unprecedented: a javelin thrower giving a pep talk to an India cricket team before a World Cup final? Or being that friend on the other end of a phone line to athletes from other disciplines? Moving schoolchildren to tears of joy after meeting him?

          Something has changed in Indian sport. Call it belief, call it confidence, call it morale-boosting: Neeraj has, by his achievement two years ago and then by his conscious efforts ever since, given Indian sport an intangible, yet perceptible, lift.

          Some of it is quantifiable: Five javelin throwers have crossed the coveted 80m mark in men's javelin in the last two years - the first time that India has six current athletes, including Neeraj, clear of the 80m mark.

          It can't be directly linked to Neeraj, of course, because it would be part of natural progression. But as one of India's top throwers Rohit Yadav, who has had multiple training camps with Neeraj, says, "Unhi ke wajah se aaj throw lag rahi hai [We're throwing so well only because of him]."

          It's something that the entire crop of upcoming javelin throwers say: Neeraj is one among them. There's no air of being the Olympic champion. He's just the boy from Haryana's Khandra village who wants the best for his compatriots.

          Though he prefers to train abroad - because he's swarmed with commercial commitments every time he's in India - Neeraj makes it a point to keep track of all Indian athletes. And he never misses an opportunity to congratulate them on public forums - whether it be in press conferences or on social media.

          When Rohit crossed the 80 mark, his phone lit up with a congratulatory message from Neeraj. When DP Manu, India's third-best thrower on form, threw a massive 84.35m last year, he was a recipient of words of praise from Neeraj. When Kishore Kumar Jena, India's freshest javelin talent recorded the fourth-best throw by an Indian, Neeraj was once again there to congratulate him.

          Neeraj's effect isn't limited to just the javelin throwers, even long-jumper Sreeshankar Murali finds inspiration in his success. Sreeshankar recently linked up with him at the Lausanne Diamond League event and felt Neeraj was "like that one friend who you can speak to for hours....he makes you feel so comfortable that you feel like you've known him for years."

          Sreeshankar, who was also Neeraj's roommate at the Tokyo Olympics, says the latter hasn't let success change him one bit and remains as friendly as ever. "It's his personality and charisma, that's what sets him apart," says Sreeshankar.

          It's true because even Rohit says Neeraj is "just like them." "Hamari toh daily baat hoti rehti hai. Zyadatar javelin ke bahar ke baatein hi hoti hain. Bhaisahab ke saat hassi-mazak hota rehta hai [We talk every day and it's mostly about stuff other than javelin. It's all fun and laughter on our chats]," he says.

          In January this year, Neeraj made a remarkable breakthrough in Indian sports culture. The day before the ICC U-19 Women's T20 World Cup final in Johannesburg, the Indian team asked Neeraj to give the players a pep talk. Neeraj, who was training in South Africa then, was also in attendance at the stadium the next day as the Indian women beat England to win the title.

          He cracked jokes, ensured he got a picture with each of them and left them with a thought, "When you become famous, always remember why you started playing the sport. And always remember your background."

          The symbolism was not lost on those who follow Indian sport: It's usually the cricket greats who are asked to give motivational speeches to athletes from other sports; now the tables have been turned.

          And he can do it at all levels. When Neeraj visited a school in Bengaluru in March, his concern had been whether the children would recognise him. He walked into the classroom with the biggest grin and while most of the children gasped and stared at him open-mouthed, one girl began to cry. "My idol is in front of me right now," she wept as Neeraj consoled her with a reassuring hug, only for another girl to scream "Sir, are you actually Neeraj Chopra?"

          After a round of autographs and selfies, Neeraj left behind a class of 30-odd students that were still struggling to process what had just happened. "Never be sad or upset about one failure. Just keep training and working hard," he told them.

          Neeraj doesn't back his compatriots only during the good times, he's there for them during the tough times as well. And he's not afraid to take a stand.

          While the cream of Indian sports remained mute spectators, Neeraj voiced his concern when India's top wrestlers were protesting against the Wrestling Federation of India and said "It hurts me to see our athletes on the streets demanding justice."

          He took to social media again a month later to voice his anguish when his close friend Vinesh Phogat, one of India's most accomplished female wrestlers, was forcibly detained by the police.

          Tejaswin Shankar, India's top decathlete and high-jumper, says Neeraj has not changed one bit since they first met in 2015.

          "The funny thing is that I meet all the top athletes only in the dope control room because I'm always there after my event. The first time we met was in the dope room at the 2015 Junior Federation Cup in Hyderabad. That was the first time I saw him and I thought "Kaun hai yeh, funk-sa John Abraham jaisa dikhne wala [who is this guy who looks like John Abraham?] Then I found out that he was Neeraj Chopra and had thrown around 77m [76.91m] to set a new Junior Federation Cup Meet record," Tejaswin recalls.

          The two have remained thick friends since and Tejaswin asserts while Neeraj carries the title of "Olympic Champion", he remains the same fun-loving lad.

          "The only thing that has changed is the title. Outside of that, the human being that he is and the inspiration he provides to athletes...even when he was not an Olympic champion, he was still able to inspire others through his conversations and banter. The 'Olympic medallist' title is added to his name, but the person has not changed. Many Olympic medallists come and go, but the way he connects with every athlete irrespective of who they are and what they do is what makes him special."

          "We don't have to look far or go to Jamaica or look at Usain Bolt or someone else for inspiration. We have Neeraj Chopra in our own country and don't need to go anywhere else to draw inspiration."