Neeraj Chopra's Nordic weapon: Breaker of storms, and national records
Neeraj Chopra.
It is perhaps a statement on just how lofty his own standards are at this point that Neeraj Chopra marked his reaffirmation in the Indian record books on Friday not with a burst of ecstatic celebration but more as if it were a matter of fact.
As he calmly posed for a steady stream of selfie seekers, it was with the patience of someone who understands that this is going to be a very normal occurrence when he takes to the field. There was only the slightest sense of bemusement that the record came off what he hadn't even considered, at the time, a particularly strong throw.
All eyes on Neeraj Chopra as elite athletes gear up for Indian Grand Prix III
All eyes on Neeraj Chopra as elite athletes gear up for Indian Grand Prix III
Neeraj Chopra's return to action will be the big attraction at IGP 3 in Patiala.
AP Photo/Lee Jin-
Neeraj Chopra didn't get to compete at the second leg of the Indian Grand Prix at Patiala's National Institute of Sport on February 25 but that didn't mean he was any less of an attraction. While the javelin throw event was won by Rohit Yadav, the camera crew documenting the event for the Athletics Federation of India's YouTube channel had Chopra join in for the post-competition interview. Eventually it was the 21-year-old national record holder, whom most of the questions ended up being directed at. This was understandable as Chopra is undoubtedly the biggest star in Indian athletics right now. As a junior world champion, junior world record holder, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games champion, he's also someone who has genuine world class ability.