JOIN US Neeraj Chopra soared to a level reserved for the very special on Saturday night when he smashed the world junior record to win the gold medal in javelin throw at the World Under-20 Championships in athletics at Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Chopra, who hails from Panipat in Haryana, hurled the spear to 86.48 metres, erasing Latvian Zigismunds Sirmais’ five-year-old record of 84.69 metres to become the world junior champion.
It was the first time an Indian athlete — senior or junior — was winning the world title, and the first time a world record was being written in the name of an Indian.
Seema Antil did win the world junior title in discus throw in 2000 but was stripped of her medal after testing positive for a stimulant. She won a bronze in the event two years later while Navjeet Kaur Dhillon also won a bronze in girls’ discus. In the senior ranks, long jumper Anju Bobby George had won the bronze at the Paris World Championships in 2003.
“It is an incredible feeling. I was feeling strong and confident before the event and after the first throw I was sure I could go farther,” said Chopra, who opened with a 79.66M throw before his world mark in round two.
The magnitude of his effort becomes apparent when it is placed alongside the senior performances worldwide this year. He is the eighth best thrower in the season and his throw on Saturday is the 15th best effort. Interestingly, it was even better than the gold-winning throw of 84.58 by Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad at London Olympics in 2012.
“When the spear left my hand on that second throw, I had a feeling that this was a special throw. I don’t think I expected it to go over 86 meters but since the last couple of months, I have worked hard on my fitness, my technique and it all paid off today,” he said.
Backed by JSW Sports, Chopra has been training under Australian coach Garry Calvert at the Olympic Training Centre in Spala, Poland for the last two months. He had two goals this season -- qualifying for the Olympics and winning the World Junior title. While he faltered in his first goal -- the qualifying period ended on July 11 -- Chopra succeeded superbly in his second target.
“I have worked hard for this. Garry sir (Calvert) has been a huge source of knowledge and help. My parents have always backed me to push myself to be the best in whatever it is that I do,” said Chopra.
Meanwhile, the Athletics Federation of India said it would seek a wild card for Chopra at the Olympics but there are no wild card system at the Games.