'Spark javelin revolution in India': Neeraj Chopra aims to give Indian athletics a boost with Classic meet
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Double Olympic medallist and India's golden boy Neeraj Chopra believes his eponymous javelin competition could be the catalyst that transforms India's athletics landscape, as the country prepares to host a world-class field event on Saturday.The inaugural edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic will feature an impressive lineup including 2016 Olympic gold medallist Thomas Rohler, 2015 World champion Julius Yego, and Chopra himself alongside domestic talent."I never dreamt of this event as I had always thought of representing India and winning medals. Apart from the medals, I now feel that I have given something to India and its athletes," Chopra told reporters on Friday ahead of the meet in Bengaluru.Chopra, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and silver at the 2024 Paris Games, believes "the event is just the start for many more international competitions to come to India" and has grander ambitions beyond Saturday's meet."We see so many competitions in Germany - A, B, C category, similarly I wish to see at least five to six such world-class competitions in India as well," the 27-year-old said.Chopra breached the 90-metre mark with a 90.23 throw at the Doha Diamond League in May, while Yego holds the African record at 92.72m and Rohler's personal best stands at 93.90m.The field will also showcase India's emerging talent - Sachin Yadav, Rohit Yadav, Sahil Silwal and Yashvir Singh - competing alongside international stars in what Chopra hopes will soon become a regular occurrence.Chopra has already seen some upswing in the fortunes of javelin after all these efforts, as more sponsors are willing to back these events.The Neeraj Chopra Classic here has the backing from an impressive bevy of corporates from private and public sectors — from JSW to BPCL "Yes, the sponsorship is increasing. I think private companies like JSW, Reliance and others are supporting the athletes individually now, as it was not happening before," Chopra said."The athletes are getting a chance to compete abroad. The government's policy has also supported the athletes very well," he said.Chopra understands that India still has miles to traverse before challenging traditional athletics powerhouses consistently in international competitions, and he wants to see a change at grassroots level."I am from a village. I didn't have a stadium. I used to go to Panipat for training. If there was a stadium nearby, maybe more children would be able to train. I see one thing when I fly to Europe. We can see some 50 football stadiums every 10-15 minutes," he said."And we will see as many stadiums if we travel from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. So, there should be as many stadiums as possible," he noted.Perhaps, the considerable strides that Yadav has made so far in his fledgling career will boost those ambitions of Chopra.The promising 25-year-old did not want to miss the chance to impress his illustrious peers."I couldn't believe that I got a message from Neeraj bhai. Thanks so much to Neeraj bhai for inviting me to this competition."I have been excited to play here. There are players from all over the world, the best throwers. I can compete with everyone and that too in India," said an overwhelmed Yadav.Still, Bengaluru has not entirely woken up to a World Athletics 'A' category event, a first in the city and in the country itself."I keep coming to Bangalore. There is a lot of support. Sport is a passion for Bangalore people," Chopra remained optimistic.Even if the turnout does not match his expectations, Chopra would know that all revolutions in world history had begun with a soft spark.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Deccan Herald
an hour ago
- Deccan Herald
NCC promises to be a Classic
Now, India's very own two-time Olympic medallist and world champion Neeraj Chopra will be joining the duo when he co-hosts and competes at the Neeraj Chopra Classic, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event, in the city on Saturday.
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
India planning to host Olympics 2036, aim is to increase medal tally: Amit Shah
India is planning to host Olympics 2036 and is working to increase the medal tally, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday as he inaugurated the Jairaj Sports and Convention Centre built by the Shri Poona Gujarati Bandhu Samaj. During his address after the inauguration ceremony, Shah said India will become the world's No. 1 country by 2047, marking the centenary of the nation's Independence. 'Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, India is making progress by leaps and bounds in all sectors, ranging from the Chandrayaan mission to start-ups, health to education, sports to research,' he said. Talking about the convention centre, Shah said, 'The 2.5 lakh square feet facility at Jairaj complex represents the Gujarati community's commitment to the cause. The government is also planning to organise the Olympic Games in India by 2036, and working to increase the nation's medal tally so that we secure a minimum of 10 gold medals. More plans are in the pipeline for the betterment of India's sporting future,' he added. 'Since the Gujarati society stays away from conflict and debate, it easily integrates and is accepted everywhere in the country and abroad. And the 12-year-old Shri Poona Gujarati Bandhu Samaj is doing good social work,' Shah added. The event, held at Kondhwa Budruk, was joined by Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde,Ajit Pawar, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, Minister of Higher and Technical Education Chandrakant Patil, Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal, BJP's Maharashtra chief Ravindra Chavan, president of Shri Poona Gujarati Bandhu Samaj Nitin Desai among others. Deputy CM Eknath Shinde said, 'The project that Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates, that project flourishes, and this has been the history till now. The future of the Shri Poona Gujarati Bandhu Samaj's Jayaraj Sports and Convention Centre is also bright. No city is beautiful without a market. Gujarati society has beautified cities by establishing markets.' Shinde praised the leadership of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah for turning challenges that stood in the way of national interest into opportunities. Speaking on this occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said, 'Maharashtra's treasury is being strengthened due to Gujarati society. Gujarati society not only earns money through trade but also stands firmly with people of all castes and religions. Gujarati society has contributed to Maharashtra's progress in every way.' The Home Minister highlighted significant security improvements achieved over the past 11 years. He spoke about the systematic elimination of Naxalism and terrorism from the country, calling these achievements proof of effective leadership at the Centre. 'Landmark decisions like the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir and the installation of Ram Lalla after more than five centuries demonstrate the government's commitment to national unity and cultural values,' said Shah.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Why javelins flying during Neeraj Chopra Classic is crucial for Indian athletics
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel A grand sporting spectacle is set to unfold on July 5 as India's golden boy, Neeraj Chopra, brings the nation's first-ever international javelin event to Bengaluru. In that context, the Neeraj Chopra Classic here on Saturday could be India's equivalent to Mondo Classic, a gala pole vault event hosted by world record holder and Olympic champion Armando Dulpantis in his hometown Uppsala, Sweden. With being rated with high ratings, the Classic event will help India to host world-class events on home soil, apart from cricket India has successfully hosted billion-dollar cricket tournament, Indian Premiere League, for the last 18 years, the Neeraj Chopra Classic will open the gates for other athletic events in the world's most populous nation. The inaugural edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic will feature an impressive lineup including 2016 Olympic gold medallist Thomas Rohler, 2015 World champion Julius Yego, and Chopra himself alongside domestic highly decorated athlete had recently shared that the event is set to become an annual fixture, with future editions set to broaden the competition to include long jump, triple jump, steeplechase and men's 100m. 'At the inaugural edition, people will get to see top throwers from across the world competing in front of their is set to be the most high profile single discipline international athletics competition ever held in India as the World Athletics has granted it Category A status. The Neeraj Chopra Classic has been awarded 'A' category status by World Athletics, placing it among the elite competitions globally, on par with prestigious Continental Tour Gold events. This recognition cements the NC Classic as a key fixture on the international athletics Classic will be jointly organised by the athlete and JSW Sports in collaboration with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and World this designation, participating athletes can earn valuable world ranking points, critical for qualifying for top-tier global tournaments. For India, it's a defining moment — positioning the country as a serious contender in hosting world-class field events and attracting top international talent, while setting new standards in event organisation."We see so many competitions in Germany - A, B, C category, similarly I wish to see at least five to six such world-class competitions in India as well," the World Number 1 javelin thrower the four other Indians, Sachin Yadav has been in the best form having won a silver in the recent Asian Championships. Yashvir Singh, who replaced an injured Kishore Jena, was fifth in the Asian Yadav, who has the experience of competing in the 2023 World Championships in Eugene, and Sahil Silwal are the other Indians competing in the all of them, the NC Classic will be important as they will not only rub shoulders with some of the top throwers but can also qualify for this year's World Championships by breaching the direct entry standard of 85.50m or garner valuable points to make it to the showpiece through world ranking an Indian delegation, comprising representatives from the union sports ministry, Gujarat government, and Indian Olympic Association president PT Usha, met with International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials in Lausanne to officially confirm Ahmedabad as India's choice to host a future Olympic Games. This meeting occurred shortly after the IOC had announced a pause in the host selection process for future delegation formally presented Ahmedabad's bid to host the Olympics, marking the first official communication of this choice to the IOC. With Brisbane set to host the 2032 Olympics, India has set its sights on the 2036 Summer Indian representatives used this platform to outline their vision for hosting the Olympics in Ahmedabad while receiving information from the IOC about Olympic Games requirements and future aspirations for the Olympic the field has become thin with some pull-outs, the most recent being two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada due to injury, Chopra's star power would be enough to ensure that the stadium is packed to the 12-man field is still world class as five competitors have already breached the qualifying mark for the World Championships in Tokyo later this legendary coach Jan Zelezny, the world record holder, has also landed in the city and the Indian fans will be able to get a glimpse of the multiple-time Olympic and World Championships gold Chopra will be the favourite to win the title. There is no Julian Weber and Peters has pulled out. The duo challenged Chopra this season the most. Weber beat him twice before the Indian upstaged him last month in the Paris Diamond League. Peters has finished third 2016 Olympic champion Thomas Rohler (PB: 93.90m), Kenya's 2015 world champion Julius Yego (PB: 92.72m) and American Curtis Thompson (PB: 87.76m) could be Chopra's main challengers. Rohler and Yego, though, have not been in the best of form in recent other foreign competitors are Czech Republic's Martin Konecny (PB: 80.59m), Barzil's Luiz Mauricio Da Silva (PB: 86.62m), Sri Lankan Rumesh Pathirage (PB: 85.45m) and Poland's Cyprian Mrzygłod (PB: 85.92m).
