New Delhi: It had to end, eventually. The unerring sequence of top-two finishes, the unreal consistency, the unwavering belief that a big throw was always round the corner — for far too long, Neeraj Chopra had spoiled us.
From World medals to Olympic podiums, Diamond League wins to continental success, Chopra had become the irresistible force that Indian athletics had long pined for. And when the end came, it was not pretty. Toppled from his perch, Chopra lay grimacing on the runway as the rain came down on the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo, the very venue where it all began for him a little over four years ago. The irony was painfully unmissable.
“I don’t understand what happened today. This has not happened for a long time,” he would say later.
Back in 2021, a fresh-faced, confident young man strode into the Tokyo Olympics and decided to announce himself to the world. A career arc that began that August evening would rival the best streaks there have been. For 25 consecutive competitions since, Chopra never finished outside the top two, firmly cementing his stature as one of India’s all-time sporting icons.
Returning to Japan for the first time since that career-defining evening, Chopra had an uphill task at hand. Despite finally getting the 90m monkey off his back this year, despite training under a man (Jan Zelezny) who knows a thing or two about lasting domination, the air of inevitability that typically surrounds him was missing. It has been, at least over the past few months.
At the Diamond League Final in Zurich last month, Chopra’s 1-2 streak seemed to have run its course before his 85.01m effort on the last try catapulted him to second place. Chopra had then spoken about the technical work he has been doing with coach Jan Zelezny and was confident that everything will come together in Tokyo. It didn’t.
Power has never been his strong suit, unlike the vintage of Johannes Vetter, Arshad Nadeem, and Anderson Peters. Chopra has always relied on a smooth repeatable technique that has more often than not come good at crunch moments. And yet, when the moment of reckoning arrived, his great strength deserted him. The speed of his run-up, the power of his block, the surefootedness of his release, the fluidity of his follow through, all seemed to have inexplicably missed the radar.
Chopra began with a throw of 83.65m and instantly found himself in the unfamiliar catch-up territory. By the time the first series ended, he lay sixth. Compatriot Sachin Yadav, a constable with the Uttar Pradesh Police who looks up to Chopra, produced a career best effort of 86.27m to go past his previous best of 85.16m. Sachin would better his erstwhile PB thrice to finish a creditable fourth.
USA’s Curtis Thompson, the eventual bronze medallist, was the unexpected leader at that stage with a throw of 86.67m.
Chopra’s 84.03m second throw was a slight improvement on his opening effort but by the time the second round subsided, the 27-year-old had slipped to the eighth spot while Trinidad and Tobago’s 2012 London Olympics champion Keshorn Walcott had taken the pole with 87.83m.
Now coached by Klaus Bartonietz, the man who guided Chopra to his twin Olympic and World Championships medals, Walcott was writing a fairytale of his own. Having won nothing major in 13 years since courting glory in London, Walcott had ceased to be a medal contender at world events. He has been consistent enough to lurk in big finals, but the defining push for title had never really arrived. Until now. A fourth throw of 88.16m sealed the deal for him, and even his 87.83m on his second throw would have been enough to make him the world champion.
Chopra fouled on his third try and just about hung on to the eighth place. With ten of the 12 finalists advancing after the first three rounds, it was becoming increasingly tougher for him to stay alive.
The field was reduced to eight after the fourth round with Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem being the first top draw to crash out. Needing a big effort to jump back in contention, Chopra could produce only a 82.86m throw — just about enough to sneak in on eighth position. His reign as the world champion met its anticlimactic end on his next throw, which he chose to foul. He tossed his belt over his face and walked off, finishing outside the medal bracket for the first time since September 2018.
“I had some problems before coming to Tokyo,” said Neeraj. “Two weeks ago I had some back issues but I didn’t want to tell anyone. I was thinking I would still manage to get through it. But javelin is really tough. If you are not in a good shape, you’re out. It’s OK. I will learn from today.”
He added: “Maybe I just need more time for training. But it’s life, it’s sport. I have to accept it and move on. Competing two days in a row was not a problem. It was okay because I qualified yesterday with my first throw. I will go back to my room, watch the competition and check on my throws. I will work on it.”
