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India have always hoped for a second Olympic gold from Neeraj Chopra, but expectations have risen following recent heartbreaks. read more
 "India look at Neeraj Chopra with glittering hope amid despair at Paris Olympics")
Neeraj Chorpa is seen as a favourite to win the javelin throw gold at Paris Olympics. Reuters
When India won a record-breaking seven medals at the Tokyo Olympics three years back with Neeraj Chopra topping the charts in men’s javelin throw, you thought the Paris 2024 was going to be even better. The spending, focus, and infrastructure have only gradually improved in the country.
Under the TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) program of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the elite athletes have been royally funded and have been afforded the freedom to pick their support staff, training process, and schedule.
Paris Olympics: News, schedule, medals tally and more
But 13 days into the world’s biggest sporting extravaganza in Paris, we stand with just three medals in India’s kitty - all bronze and all coming from the guns/rifles of the shooting contingent.
The same shooting contingent that went missing at Rio and then Tokyo.
If not for Manu Bhaker’s heartwarming redemption arc and Swapnil Kusale’s late-blooming tale, India’s coffers would have had zero medals with just a handful of events left, the majority in athletics. A department that isn’t India’s strong suit.
Indians are not known for their athletic capabilities and our record in the events justifies that school of thinking.
Neeraj Chopra Final at Paris Olympics: Competitors, Date, Time, and live streaming
Only three medals have been won in athletics by India and two of them came as early as 1900 when anglo-Indian Norman Pritchard clinched two silvers.
The only other medal came from Neeraj.
That was earth-shattering, to put it mildly.
Not just a medal in athletics but a gold in javelin throw where some of the Germans were throwing over 90m just for fun and Neeraj won the gold with a 87.58m throw.
That wasn’t a fluke though.
Neeraj has gone on to win the big events - gold at the Asian Games, World Championships, and the Diamond League Trophy. There’s also a silver from the the world championships, which made him the first Indian athlete to win a silver or gold at the World Athletics event. He hasn’t breached the 90m mark but that’s already a tremendous CV.
Neeraj’s secret lies in his consistency and mental fortitude.
In all the major tournaments since the 2020 Games, the 26-year-old has stood first or second. Even in the qualification throw at Paris 2024, he came first with just one throw, of 89.34m.
“It was a good throw, but this is just the qualification, the real deal is the final,” Neeraj said on JioCinema after clearing the qualification.
“In Tokyo, we threw in the sunshine and here it’s a bit cooler and the humidity is much lesser. Tokyo was much warmer and more humid than Paris. The big difference is that there are crowds here.”
No doubt the real deal is the final and going by Neeraj’s previous record, it’s natural to be highly hopeful. The hopes are sure to rise amid the current scenario where a sure shot medal from Vinesh Phogat was lost after she failed to make weight and a former junior champion Antim Panghal not only lost in her first bout but has been deported by the Indian Olympic Association due to discipline issues.
Neeraj, however, is a human and the Olympics are the biggest stage. The result here may not always be what it’s expected to be.
Watching sports and writing about it are my favourite things in life and I try to bring you the best from the sporting world at Firstpost. see more
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