Despite the fact that he won silver in the Paris Olympics three years after winning gold in Tokyo to cement himself as India’s greatest athlete of all time, the year 2024 was somewhat underwhelming for Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra by his own extraordinary standards.
Neeraj, after all, had been bossing events across the world and even if he did not throw the javelin the furthest, it was his remarkable consistency that helped him secure podium finishes across a wide variety of events, on top more often than not.
Let’s not forget the fact that Chopra has also won a gold and a silver medal at the Athletics World Championships in addition to winning the same medals at the Olympics, and is one of only three javelin athletes in the history of the sport to hold the Olympic and world titles simultaneously.
There is, however, one feat that has eluded Chopra throughout his career, cost him two major titles last year and is at the top of his priority list heading into the season-opening event in Doha – breaching the 90-metre mark!
Now or never for Neeraj as far as breaching 90m is concerned
It is the inability to achieve the elusive feat that caused not one but two heartbreaks for Chopra last year.
Chopra’s best throw at the Paris Games last year measured 89.45m, which was better than the 87.58m throw that helped him win gold in Tokyo in 2021. The 27-year-old had breezed into the men’s javelin final in August in just one attempt with an 89.34m effort, and was a strong favourite to win back-to-back gold medals.
His only legal throw in the final, however, paled in comparison to a monster 92.97m throw by Nadeem , which not only made him the first Pakistani to win an individual gold medal at the world’s biggest multi-sporting event but also smashed the Olympic record.
