Neeraj Chopra’s flight to stardom that took off four years back, crash-landed on Thursday when he finished eighth in men’s javelin in the World Championships. And though it might just be a coincidence, it’s nevertheless dramatic that the venue for both the events is the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo.
It was in 2021, at the Tokyo Olympics, that Neeraj became an instant star when he clinched gold, India’s first-ever at the Games in a track-and-field event. Since then, Neeraj has always been at the forefront of men’s javelin throw globally, constantly being among medals, including a silver and a gold in the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, respectively, and the silver at the Paris Olympics last year.
At the ongoing Championships too, Neeraj was a favourite to be on the podium. But the script unfolded rather dramatically in rain-drenched Tokyo on Thursday. On a day when no thrower managed to cross 90m, Neeraj was ousted after the fifth and penultimate round with a best effort of 84.03m that left him eighth overall.
The gold went to Keshorn Walcott (88.16m) of Trinidad and Tobago, followed by Grenada’s Anderson Peters (87.38m) and USA’s Curtis Thompson (86.67m).
If Neeraj’s result was a shocker, it was a pleasant surprise to see compatriot Sachin Yadav throw a personal best of 86.27m and finish a hugely creditable fourth.
Neeraj, who needed just one throw of 84.85m on Wednesday to qualify for the final, began with a 83.65m throw on Thursday. He improved upon it with a 84.03m throw in his second attempt before fouling his third throw. His fourth throw measured just 82.86m while he again fouled the fifth.
But what went wrong for Neeraj? The 27-year-old himself doesn’t know.
“I don’t understand what happened today. This has not happened for a long time,” Neeraj was quoted as saying by World Athletics.
“I had some problems before coming to Tokyo. 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 good shape, you’re out. It’s okay. I
will learn from today (Thursday). Maybe I need more training or to improve my technique,” he added.
Not just for Neeraj, the day was a disaster for all the favourites. Germany’s Julian Weber, the world leader this season, finished fifth with 86.11m. Olympic champion, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, fared worse, his 82.75m throw giving him the 10th
position. And that is also why Sachin Yadav should get rich accolades.
In fact, all of Sachin’s five legal throws were better than Neeraj’s day’s best.
Hailing from a farmer’s family at Khekra village in Uttar Pradesh, the six-
feet-four-inches tall Yadav showed that India has a bright future in men’s javelin in the coming years.