More Than Medals: Why Neeraj Chopra Is India’s Greatest Ever Athlete

Why is Neeraj Chopra India’s greatest ever athlete? Is it just because he has won two Olympic medals and multiple others at competitions around the world? Is it because of his consistency and longevity? Or is there something else that has shaped the Neeraj aura?

The boxing competition at the Commonwealth Games had ended and we were walking back from the SEC Armadillo towards the Moxy Hotel, from where we used to take our Uber to the city centre. All of a sudden, we noticed a crowd and a very familiar face happily obliging people with selfies and autographs. It was Neeraj and, as soon as he saw us, he walked over and gave me a warm hug. Very Neeraj, if you know him well.

“Boxing ne to kamal kar diya (The boxers have been phenomenal),” he said. “Saat (seven) gold medals. Medal tally mein humein bahut upar utha diya hai (They’ve lifted us significantly in the medal standings).”

He had watched every boxing bout and had cheered for each one of our boxers. He was also following Gulveer Singh’s progress on his phone.

“Sabhi achha kar rahe hain (Everyone is doing well),” he said. “Aise hi sab mil kar sports ko aage le jayenge (Together, this is how we will take Indian sport forward).”

When I asked him about Tejaswin Shankar, he was ecstatic.

“In this state, to go on and win a medal is a fantastic achievement,” said Neeraj. “TJ was telling me that while he was doing his long jump, I was doing my qualifying throw and the commentator said two Indian athletes were competing at the same time. For TJ to jump 7.82m with an injury was a brilliant effort.”

By then, Gulveer had won his bronze medal and, once again, Neeraj was thrilled.

“Bahut achha kiya hai (He has done very well),” he told me. “Distance running mein do medals jeetna bahut badi baat hai (Winning two medals in distance running is a huge achievement).”

From the boxers who won seven gold medals to the track and field athletes, Neeraj was celebrating everyone who had made the country proud. He is clearly the leader of the pack and has brought about a sea change in Indian Olympic sport.

Tejaswin summed it up perfectly while speaking about Neeraj.

“I don’t think anyone except Neeraj Chopra would have survived this long after winning the Tokyo Olympic gold medal,” he said. “It is as if nothing but gold will suffice when it comes to him. He has won a silver medal here on his comeback and has thrown beyond 85 metres. Yet, we are asking why he didn’t win gold.

“Can you imagine the pressure an athlete must feel when whatever he does is not considered good enough unless it’s gold? Anyone else would have quit and given up on the sport.”

Neeraj has a remarkable calmness about him. He knows exactly what he needs to do and how to plan the road ahead. He isn’t returning to India immediately and will continue training to be fully prepared for the Asian Games. But that doesn’t mean he won’t follow the performances of the other Indian athletes. Whether it is Murali Sreeshankar, Tejaswin or the boxers, Neeraj will have an eye on all of them.

It would not be wrong to say that Neeraj has carried Indian Olympic sport on his shoulders for the past five years. More than the medals, it is his leadership, humility, consistency and ability to inspire an entire generation of athletes that make him India’s greatest ever athlete.

Follow Revsportz for latest sports news