CHENNAI: It all began at the Commonwealth Games in 2018. A young, long-haired, innocent-looking javelin thrower from India taking Gold Coast by storm. It was him and his javelin against the world. An 86.27m throw, and that was when he left an indelible mark.
Two CWG editions later, Neeraj returned to the men's final late on Friday, seeking another springboard to his career which has seen the highest of highs, and recently, the lowest of lows. With his personal coach Jaiveer Chaudhary back in the sidelines, it marked another full-circle moment. Chaudhary was the same man who gave Neeraj his first javelin and is there for his ward, as he tried to get himself back on track.
And there was no better way for the multiple Olympic medallist to begin. He breached the 85 metre-mark for the first time in 11 months. As soon as he launched the javelin into the evening sky, Neeraj let out a roar, and going by his no-look, he knew that the javelin was going to land beyond 85m. That was enough for him to clinch silver.
But soon after Neeraj threw 85.83m, Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage upped the gear with a mammoth 89.75m throw to take the lead.
But as the cold winds came back into the Scotstoun Stadium, the throwers found it nearly impossible to better their marks. After his big effort, Pathirage could not record a legal attempt, as the winds played spoilsport.
This final is not just for Neeraj to get back to his best, but for Indian javelin throw to wake-up from its brief nap as South Asian counterparts slowly build champions. While Chopra continued to shine on his own, he has not had a consistent challenger from India. It kept changing from Kishore Jena, Manu DP, to Sachin Yadav and Rohit Yadav. Yash Vir Singh threw the kitchen sink at his last attempt and saw the javelin land at 85.41m. This confirmed him a bronze medal in his CWG debut. Yadav meanwhile, had an underwhelming 81.56m throw to finish seventh.
Physically, there appears no hiccups, and no strains, from his run-ups to his throws. “Chopra is in perfect shape physically. I have not seen him so good in a long time. He is very confident, and we can expect a very good performance from him,” India’s chief athletics coach Radhakrishnan Nair told reporters before the Games began.
Meanwhile, reigning Olympic and CWG champion Arshad Nadeem had a forgettable outing, as he got eliminated after first three rounds. He could only throw as far as 77.41m.
