It has been a surreal week for me and the Indian Olympic contingent. I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that I have won the first athletics gold for India at an Olympics. When I look back, several thoughts cross my mind. While dedication, preparation, mental fortitude and execution are non-negotiable for a sportsperson, I have come to realise that time is the most potent guiding force in our lives. What if the Tokyo Olympics happened in 2020? What if there was no pandemic? Time has been my biggest ally. The whole of 2019 I was injured and had a surgery. I did not train, nor did I take part in the world championship and missed the all-important Diamond League. I was completely out of touch. It took the whole of 2020 to get back on track and prepare for the Tokyo Olympics. I know Covid has played havoc with people’s lives and ruined sporting calendars, but the pandemic was a blessing for me.
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We athletes are dependent on a supportive ecosystem. I am lucky to have got the right support by the federation, the sports ministry and my sponsors, JSW. To be the best one cannot compromise with the quality of training and trainers. My stint with legendary javelin thrower Uwe Hohn in 2018 was a significant period of my journey. But if I managed to recover and get my strength back and attain peak physical fitness after a depressing 2019, all credit goes to Dr Klaus Bartonietz, the German bio-mechanic expert. Javelin throwing is a combination of strength, flexibility and speed. All these combine to give the explosive power one needs to hurl the spear. There is a difference between just throwing a spear and throwing a javelin afar.
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Klaus has not only been a trainer; he has been a mental conditioning coach as well. On the final day, when there was a fire raging inside me, he helped me control my emotions. To focus on winning gold can be detrimental. Apart from fine-tuning my technique, Klaus advised me to enjoy the moment and focus on my performance. He would say ‘maje karo’ (have fun) and that would reduce the pressure on me. All top coaches know the virtues of mind relaxation. I believe the men’s hockey coach also told the boys to play ‘aaram se’ (be relaxed) before the bronze medal match against Germany.
perfect coordination of mind and body. My goal was not winning a medal; I wanted to achieve my personal best, to throw the javelin beyond 88.07 metres, the national record. I wanted to achieve my best throws in the first two or three attempts. My run-up and delivery were good and the spear flew to 87.03. The rest of the field did average but in javelin nothing can be taken for granted till the last throw.
I was very happy with my second attempt and celebrated a bit too. It was better and went as far as 87.58m but it still was not my best. I was a bit disappointed when I saw the scoreboard. The field was under pressure and favourite Joannes Vetter of Germany crashing out early was a surprise. Vetter had been in superb form with multiple 90-plus throws in 2021 and was playing mind games but sport can be funny and Olympics can be funnier. I was not worrying about Vetter’s form. I was more concerned about my performance in Tokyo. That no athlete is unbeatable has been proven once again.
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Yes, I want to break the 90-metre barrier, but winning gold for India was special. It took a few days to settle down once I arrived in Tokyo. I had been training in Europe and Japan was seven hours ahead. The time zone difference messed up my sleep pattern and I did not get adequate rest before my events. And then the doping control guys would wake me up at 6 am. I can’t remember sleeping for a solid six hours at a stretch in Tokyo. But all the pain and struggle were worth it. I dedicate my medal to Milkha Singhji. He came so close to winning an Olympic medal in Rome. And of course, P.T. Usha. I have fulfilled their dream and have hopefully raised the bar of aspiration of every Indian sportsperson heading to Paris 2024.
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(As told to Soumitra Bose)
Neeraj Chopra won gold in javelin at the Tokyo Olympics
