BHUBANESWAR: He was not supposed to be in Budapest. He qualified at the last moment, ranked 36 in Road to Budapest. Then his visa was cancelled without much reason and he could not board the flight to the World Championships in Hungary. Kishor Jena spent sleepless nights before the government intervened and helped him secure it. He left for Budapest on Saturday.
As destiny would have it, Jena is not only in Budapest but also in the javelin final. In the process, he became the first Odia athlete to enter the final of the world’s biggest athletics competition. His throw of 80.55m secured that place among javelin’s royalties including Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra (88.77m) and his teammate DP Manu (81.31m). Together, the three created history for India too. This is the first time that three Indians are in the final.
Jena did feel the nerves at the big stage. Yet, he went about his chores with precision. “In such a big platform, I was a little bit nervous,” he confessed to this paper.“It was not my best throw but I was happy to be in the final. Before the event, my idol and inspiration Neeraj Chopra bhai gave me a few tips on how to keep calm. I am excited for the final as I am going to compete alongside Neeraj and Manu,” said Jena.
Reflecting on his ordeal of visa cancellation, he said, “Everything seemed almost over for me and I was not able to get proper sleep. With the support of the government and from my fellow athletes I got the visa,” he said while cleaning his jersey. “I don’t want to lose or get it spoilt that’s why I prefer cleaning it myself. It’s a proud moment of my life to represent my country with this jersey and I am scared of misplacing or damaging the jersey.”