Mumbai: Neeraj Chauhan was on the verge of going to the Asian Games three years ago, only to lose out on a re-trial. The recurve archer had competed in eight World Cups and one World Championships, only to return without any to show.
The constant blanks made Chauhan turn to his teammate and senior, Dhiraj Bommadevara, with a question after the Indian men’s team lost to USA in the Madrid World Cup quarter-finals in July.
“When will I get on the podium?” Chauhan recalled. Dhiraj told him that his moment would come “sahi time pe, sahi jagah pe (at the right time, at the right place).”
That time and place arrived at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Not once, but twice. The second, while going past Dhiraj.
Chauhan checked out of his first Asian Games with two medals — a men’s team silver alongside Dhiraj and Yashdeep Bhoge, and an individual bronze as only the second Indian man to win an Asian Games individual recurve medal after Tarundeep Rai in 2010.
“Honestly, I did not go in with any expectations. I just knew that I wanted to get on that podium,” Chauhan told HT from Hyderabad, where he is competing in the Archery Premier League (APL).
“I played in so many World Cups and World Championships, but returned empty-handed from all of them. I lost every time, but learnt. For the Asian Games, I had made up my mind that I won’t return empty-handed this time.”
After the duck was broken with the team silver, the 24-year-old, the youngest member of the men’s squad, went on a fine individual run. Chauhan took down South Korea’s Kim Je-deok, a three-time Olympic gold medallist, in the pre-quarterfinals and Dhiraj, the world No.4 and recently crowned World Cup Finals champion, in the bronze medal contest after coming back from two sets down.
“I wasn’t able to hear or speak anything after that moment,” said the archer from Meerut. “We (Dhiraj and him) had hoped to compete with each other in the final. Next time, hopefully, we will do that.”
Chauhan had plenty of conversations with Dhiraj and veteran compound archer Abhishek Verma on dealing with nerves in his first multi-sport event. On dealing with Korean opponents, Chauhan tapped into a mindset that many young Indian archers currently carry. “Both of us have rounds of 30. Both of us are not robots. Both of our heart rates can spike up.”
Chauhan’s life has been through waves of ups and downs. With his father employed as a cook at Meerut’s Kailash Prakash Stadium, Chauhan and his brother were pushed into sports. Both took up boxing, before their coach recognised Chauhan’s increased focus and suggested archery.
The kid switched tracks, shot arrows and loved its feel. His new sport, though, was expensive, and his father apprehensive. But after his early coaches helped with equipment, and he shifted to the SAI hostel while calling his mother and crying daily initially, Chauhan set out on his archery path. And his family never questioned the route or its destination.
“My family never let me feel a shortage of anything. Even at a time when putting food on the table twice a day was proving to be a challenge, my parents did not tell me to stop practice,” Chauhan said.
One such period came during the Covid-19 pandemic, when Chauhan and his boxer brother had to sell vegetables to chip in with a little more money to make ends meet at home. Then too, Chauhan did not want to contemplate pressing pause on his sport.
“Even if that thought did cross my mind, my family never let me do that. They kept pushing me. So I realised that if they are supporting me so much, why should I stop?” said Chauhan. “Now that I look back at it, I feel like life will make you go through many ups and downs. But it is important to keep at it and not give up.”
Like he did not give up on his goal of standing on the podium in Japan, after being “so disappointed” at missing out on his chance in Hangzhou three years ago. He is now soaking in the celebrations and the experience of rubbing shoulders with some of the world’s top archers at the ongoing APL in Hyderabad. The reception he received after returning to India left Chauhan speechless. And, craving for more.
“I have seen how so many Indians have celebrated these Asian Games medals. I want to see them celebrate an Olympic medal. I am visualising that from now itself.”
