90m barrier breached, Neeraj Chopra will be free to go for glory, more glory

India Today

17-05-2025

Author Dennis Lehane once wrote: 'We live by night and dance fast so grass can't grow under feet. That's our creed.' Against the glass, glitter and a shimmering Doha Bay, it was that kind of a night at the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium. A night where talent embraced destiny, a moment that should have come a long time back, as India's Neeraj Chopra and Germany's Julian Weber, crossed a frontier, that track, and field observers believe was overdue. Yet to a nation fed on quick fire T20 Hundreds, Chopra, provided that perfect distraction throwing 90.23 in his third throw of the night; his first 90 plus throw in a glittering career that has seen him bring India's first Olympic (Tokyo) track and World Championship (Budapest) gold.advertisementGermany's Weber, prone to injuries and indifferent form, European junior champion way back in 2013, ensured Doha would be the highlight of his career, throwing 91.06 in his last and 6th throw in the process breaking the hearts of millions of Chopra fans, many of them, Indian expats, who generally pack in to the Doha stadium to witness and meet their icon in the flesh.Doha Diamond League: HighlightsUsually, it is the track stars who normally catch the fans imagination. But this time, it was javelin, in spite the fact that arguably the world's best sprinter, Jamaica's two-time Olympic 100m Champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was competing in Doha for the first time in a Diamond League. Fraser was beaten to 4th spot, Jamaica's Tia Clayton and her twin sister Tina picking up the top two spots; the Jamaican sprinting stables don't shut down ever.advertisementUnder a clear sky, it was apparent that Chopra was in his element. Those who have followed his career, can make it out when he warms up. His loose limbed, relaxed demeanour is always an indication of good, consistent throwing, something that he has always maintained. Not with Chopra, you get to see below-par throws. His consistency, as most javelin throwers in the world say, is of the highest order. Julius Yego who could only finish 9th with 78.52 and is a former 2015 World Champion and 2016 Olympic silver medallist, with a personal best of 92.72, once said about Chopra: 'He doesn't go away. He keeps chipping away at the competition. Till he kind of creates that pressure that if you don't have a big throw, he eventually wears you down and wins.'For someone, who always played down his lack of 90m plus throws, Chopra, has the consistency and laser focus reminiscent of Edwin Moses, the American legendary 400m hurdler and a two time Olympic and World Champion who once went 122 races unbeaten.The disappointment for Chopra was Paris where he was beaten by that monstrous 92.97 throw from Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem. It is to Chopra's credit that an entire nation including Chopra went into a spiral of depression. In any other age, era, an Olympic silver would have sent the country into raptures. Analysts, however, saw for the first time, Chopra having a meltdown. The cool, calm, composed, unfazed Chopra for the first time let the pressure get to him; the champion appeared human, brittle, breakable. In six throws, he only had one valid at 89.45, an unbelievable five foul throws. A coach change seemed imminent and walked in probably the greatest javelin thrower of all time, Jan Zelezny, who also holds the world record of 98.48, yes, you read that right! Zelezny is a three-time Olympic and World Champion. For a man like Chopra, bred-in-the-bone integrity, it is ingrained to give it your all. Chopra is not someone who looks at sport or javelin as a means to an end. For him, it is the end. Especially, till he is an athlete and competing. Even for coaches like Zelezny, they see that and set about markers which would not only enhance Chopra the athlete, but also Zelezny the coach; it is the hallmark of great coaches worldwide.advertisementWeber's first two throws of 83.82 and 85.87, didn't measure up, at least, there were no pointers as to what he might unleash into the Doha sky. His third of 89.06 was the one that probably gave him the confidence to go all out, that technique of running in and just about bending to the floor after the throw. So different from Chopra's blazing run-in, veering to the left, as the javelin soars with the Indian hitting the floor, with barely controlled momentum. Maybe, by the time, he reaches Tokyo for the World Championships in September, you might see a subtle variance in that technique.advertisementChopra's third throw after the second was a no-throw, soared as the world champion stood with his arms outstretched, the sign that this was a big one. So, after eight years and nine months, since the day he won the IAAF 2016 U20 World Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, Chopra crossed the 90m mark.The German's 4th and 5th throw of 88.05 and 89.84 kept him in the hunt. Chopra's 4th was a sub-par 80.56 and with the 6th fouled, it seemed that the Indian might pip the German and pick up the points with a World Lead. But the Doha night, that slight back wind that blows in from the bay, was kinder to Weber as the javelin soared, gravity giving it an extra few seconds in the air before dropping it on the other side of 91, to be exact, 91.06. It was a thriller of a competition. If this was poker, Weber, had seemingly snatched 'the pot', playing, if one can call it, a small blind.advertisementThe Doha night belonged to Weber. Anderson Peters the two-time World Champion, who has a best of 93.07, finished 3rd with 85.64.Weber, understandably, couldn't stop exulting. 'I don't know how that happened because the previous weeks weren't that good for me, but I had a good feeling. My physio gave me a really good massage. The crowd was amazing, there was a great background and that also helped me throw beyond 90 metres for the first time. It also was the winning throw in the last round, so it came out really perfect. Neeraj Chopra had done his 90m sometime before, I was really happy for him because he was fighting for that throw over 90m for some time and it was really special to achieve it tonight. The backwind here in Doha is great for us javelin throwers, if you make the traveling right and throw a little higher, it just flies great.'advertisementChopra, after the joint photo-op with Weber, said, 'I am very happy for the 90m, but this second place - it actually happened to me also when I competed in Turku and in Stockholm. I threw 89.94 and I was always second. And also, here. I am very happy also for Julian Weber. He threw 91 so we both broke 90m for the first time. We have been trying this for so many years, so finally, we managed to get it. It was just a first competition of the year so I am confident that at the next competitions, I will throw far. I feel very good that Jan Zelezny is my coach now and we worked very hard in South Africa. We still work on few points and still learning some things. Normally, he does not go to the Diamond Leagues, but he came with me because he told me that today is the day to achieve 90m.'Post Doha, optimism will run high as Weber and Chopra have set the season ablaze with fans now looking out for the World Championships in Tokyo. Before that Chopra will compete at the Golden Spike 2025 athletics meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on June 24. Olympic Champion Arshad Nadeem will be turning out at the Asian Athletic Championships in Korea.Now with the psychological barrier of the elusive 90m conquered, and with Zelezny backing him, akin to 'Bundini' supporting Muhammad Ali, Chopra can now look forward to creating more thrills, rewriting India and the world's javelin history with soft words, powerful presence and virtuosity.Must Watch