Why javelins flying during Neeraj Chopra Classic is crucial for Indian athletics

Time of India

18 hours ago

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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 events.While 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 talent.India's 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 eyes.It 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 calendar.NC Classic will be jointly organised by the athlete and JSW Sports in collaboration with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and World Athletics.With 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 said.Among 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 Championships.Rohit Yadav, who has the experience of competing in the 2023 World Championships in Eugene, and Sahil Silwal are the other Indians competing in the event.For 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 quota.Recently, 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 Games.The 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 Games.The 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 Movement.Though 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 rafters.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 year.Chopra's 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 medal-winner.Clearly, 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 twice.Germany's 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 times.The 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).