By G Rajaraman,News18,Vivek Ganapathy

Copyright news18

There was no miracle lying in wait for Neeraj Chopra in the Japan National Stadium at the World Athletics Championships final in Tokyo on Thursday. There was no joy in returning to the venue of his Olympic Games conquest four years ago. Instead, he returned with an unusual, even sobering, experience after an eighth-place finish.
On a night when the defending champion struggled as a result of a back injury, his younger team-mate Sachin Yadav stepped up the plate with a career best 86.27m effort. It is creditable that he landed a personal best on the world stage. His throw placed him second behind American Curtis Thompson (86.67m) after the opening round, and he eventually finished fourth.
Caribbean neighbours, 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott (Trinidad & Tobago), now trained by Neeraj Chopra’s erstwhile coach Dr Klaus Bartonietz, and two-time World Champion Anderson Peters (Grenada) punched turf at 88.16m and 87.38m respectively to take the top two medals in cooler conditions than a day earlier.
Sachin Yadav, who trains in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, scripted a fine series of throws, starting with his personal best of 86.27m and having two other efforts over 85m. He believed he had done enough with his fourth throw to go past Curtis Thompson’s mark of 86.67m and into medal position but the spear hit the turf at 85.71m.
For some reason, he skipped walking through the mixed zone and discovered a unique route to the post-competition area, leaving the media with no chance to interact with him. It must be hoped that he will continue to evolve as a Javelin Thrower rather than struggle like all Indian Javelin Throwers bar one who preceded him to World Championships finals.
In stark contrast, Neeraj Chopra who courted failure – by his own lofty standards – spoke with the media at length, losing no time to praise Sachin Yadav. “I am happy for him. For a while it looked like an Indian would be on the podium. To deliver a personal best in the World Championship final is special indeed,” he said about his younger team-mate.
The last time he finished off the podium was on September 9, 2018; he found a place in the top 2 in each of the 25 competitions over for four years since winning the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games gold. None of that mattered when he stepped into the Japan National Stadium for the final on Thursday.
Neeraj Chopra, whose back problem surfaced on September 4 in Czechia, admitted that his belief had deserted him. Eventually, it caused frustration, dejection and disappointment before giving way to almost philosophical acceptance. Now, after a long time, he has been presented with a chance to learn about sport – and life –from a different position, a different prism.
He opened with 84.38m to be sixth after the opening round. He produced a slightly better effort over 84.03m but it was getting apparent that this was not going to be his night. It was down to hope rather than belief that he could magically unleash an 88m throw and find a place on the podium yet again. But while he was unrelenting in his mind, his body was not cooperating.
“I was not feeling ready at all today. My timing was off. I did not have the belief that I could get that one big throw. This has not happened for me and has been a different experience. It is okay that I did not get a good throw in the final. Whatever it is, I have to accept it and learn from it,” he said.
It did not make for happy viewing. But he was unwilling to give up until it was truly over. He charged himself to make an effort with what was his final throw, but rain made the grip on the spear slippery, and it resulted in a poor throw, leading him to cross the line and prevent the throw from being measured.
In the manner of a champion, he did not hide behind excuses. The changed schedule – the final being held the day after qualification; the rule change that meant that the athletes placed seventh and eighth after the fifth round would be eliminated and not have a chance to turn the script on its head with one big throw in the end.
Even when prodded, he did not complain about the change in weather from hot and humid a day earlier to colder. “I offer no excuses but I have shared the real reason that my training over the past fortnight has been impacted by the condition of my back. I had told the (Athletics) Federation (of India),” he said. “I will get fit and be back.”
As the fifth-placed Julian Webber (Germany) passed the 2023 World Champion in the mixed zone, he patted his back and told him: “Come back,” Neeraj Chopra broke into a toothy smile. “I will come back. I have to. It does not work like this, does it?” It was clear that Neeraj Chopra will rest, recover and recalibrate ahead of the next season.
Soon, Australian women’s 80mm runner Jessica Hull, who had endured a fall during her heats and secured a place in the semifinal on protest, tapped him as she passed him. Neeraj Chopra broke into a smile again. “She may be unaware that I have not done well and would have assumed that I got a medal again,” he explained.
“This is sport, and anything can happen. I have now experienced it. I was on the field. And was unable to deliver a good throw. I hope this will make me stronger. I have heard that athletes return stronger after such adverse experiences,” he said, his mind already looking to move on from an unhappy showing.
Neeraj Chopra has been looking to be consistent with 90m throws and will work towards that in the year of the Commonwealth Games, the Asian Games and the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest. The quest for athletic perfection is an endless journey and is not always measured by additions to the collection of medals and trophies in drawing room shelves.