Neeraj Chopra interview: No matter how big a champion someone is, he does not always win

Silver medallist Neeraj Chopra during an interview with The Hindu in Paris on August 10, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Ritu Raj Konwar

Since the country became independent, the Indian National anthem has been played at the Olympics platform only seven times. Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra’s historic performance in the Tokyo Games provided the Indians to witness one of those opportunities.

This time Chopra, who relinquished the top spot to Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem at the Stade de France in Paris the other night, did not have the privilege of standing to the National anthem again, but has taken his silver medal in his stride and is proud to have contributed to the country’s medals tally at the greatest show on earth.

“It’s the reality of sports. No matter how big a champion someone is, he does not always win. Sometime or the other the result does not go in his favour. It would have been great had the National anthem been played. But I am happy with the silver medal I won for the country,” Chopra told The Hindu in an exclusive interview during his visit to Omega House in Paris.

Chopra had some issues with his run-up during the javelin final competition, after which he was seen going up to that area to check something. “A lot of my throws were foul throws. Some of those I did deliberately, though. I was just checking where I got blocked. I just wanted to have a look at the area.”

On the field, Chopra pumps himself up with some aggression, which sometimes may be misconstrued as his anger. “Yes, I do get angry. I can’t say I get angry on the field. I get aggressive on the field. I think it is necessary sometimes. I try to handle it. Along with the aggression, I try to keep my focus on technique and performance.”

During his performances, Chopra has been careful about the injury he has been carrying for some time. He agreed that it affected his focus. “Yes, it is difficult to compete despite an injury. Instead of the performance, you focus more on not aggravating the injury. Despite that I performed well and got my season best throw.”

Apart from addressing injury issues, Chopra, who is yet to cross the 90m mark, wanted to improve the technical side of the game. “Javelin is a technical sport. You always have some scope for improvement. There are a few things that I have to improve. I will work on that in the next off-season,” said Chopra.

Several athletes across various disciplines have raised concerns about mental health. But Chopra is gifted with the equanimity to handle tough situations posed by demands of modern day sports. “I don’t do anything (for good mental health). I just work hard and keep my focus on it,” said Chopra, looking forward to raising the bar in future.