Packed stands & flying sears: Bengaluru bows to Neeraj Chopra & co
As the clock edged toward the 7pm start of the maiden
Neeraj Chopra
Classic, fans began streaming in almost two hours early, clamouring for the best vantage points in the north lower and upper stands, just behind the javelin runway.
But first came the cops to ensure a foolproof security cordon, with even a deputy commissioner of police going around the stands to take stock of the arrangements.
The excitement was palpable and artists showcasing Karnataka's folk dance forms such as Yakshagana, Dollu Kunitha, Kamsale and Pata Kunitha entertained people outside the arena.
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The corporate box inside the stadium, reserved for premium ticket holders, provided occupants with a ringside view of the top stars in action, led by host and star athlete Neeraj Chopra. Scores of schoolchildren filled the stands, making their presence felt by waving flags and jumping up and down whenever they spotted Chopra.
The previously empty stands soon filled with colourful javelins, ranging from fluorescent green to bright orange.
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Javelin master Chopra entered next, and the stands erupted in joy as fans watched their favourite star, who has followed in the footsteps of icons such as Milkha Singh, PT Usha and Anju Bobby George, bringing fame to the country in the world of athletics.
The evening's events began with entertainment designed to get fans in the groove. First up was The Vixens Crew, a city-based all-women dance team. This was followed by Haryanvi singer Dhanda Nyoliwala, a chart-topper on Spotify's top 200 list, known for his viral songs such as "Up to U" and "Russian Bandana".
Soon, all 12 athletes joined in to begin their warm-up session and take a few practice throws. The fans, who filled most of the stands, brought back memories of Indian Super League football matches between Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters. Although the main event was yet to start, the appetiser itself delighted the crowd when chief organiser and lead contestant Chopra landed his first practice throw close to the 80-metre mark.
Fans experienced world-class athletics as they celebrated with cheering sticks and special flags.
By the time the first javelin pierced the grass on the cool evening, 14,593 athletics enthusiasts were cheering for the star-studded line-up.
A huge banner reading "From Bengaluru with love to every athlete" perfectly summed up the mood; the fact that Chopra won the gold medal was a fitting finale.
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The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Stars give a thumbs up to Neeraj Chopra Classic, India's maiden athletics event of its kind at the global level
The biggest compliment for the Neeraj Chopra Classic (NC Classic) perhaps came from the foreign competitors. Did they enjoy the experience? Yes. Would they like to come back for another edition? An overwhelming yes. The NC Classic brought together some the world's best, in a one-of-a-kind night of javelin excellence. Two-time world championship winner Anderson Peters had pulled out due to an injury, but there were several other big names more than capable of filling the hole. Kenya's Julius Yego was among the world champions on view. Nicknamed 'Mr. YouTube' for learning the sport through watching videos online, Yego was among the favourites. The soft-spoken, burly 36-year-old gave champion and tournament organiser Neeraj Chopra a run for his money with a 84.51m throw in his fourth attempt. Yego's season best was enough to earn him second place. Yego was most pleased with the conduct of the tournament, stating that India is ready to host more world-level events. 'Thank you, Neeraj, for organising such an event. It is truly a big event,' Yego said. 'To have an event like this with a lot of fans in the stadium is something big. World Athletics might now say, 'Okay India, get ready for big things'. I look forward to India hosting many big events like this,' Yego said. Common drive In many ways, Yego is a trailblazer, much like Neeraj. Hailing from a country where javelin is not the most popular sport, Yego's tremendous achievements - golds in the 2015 world championship and 2014 Commonwealth games, silver in the 2016 Olympics, to name a few - has provided a huge boost to the sport in Kenya. Yego spoke about his close relationship with Neeraj, and their common drive to bring javelin throw into the mainstream. 'When my manager informed me that Neeraj wanted me to be a part of this event, I immediately agreed because Neeraj is my friend and I will support him. We both want to make this sport very popular. India is known for cricket. Kenya is known for long-distance running. But when I won a world championship and got a silver in the Olympics, it changed everything in my country,' Yego said. 'And now Neeraj is here. He has completely changed everything with his accomplishments. Not only in India, but across the world,' Yego said. The post-event press conference ended with Neeraj asking Yego a question. 'What are your suggestions to improve the tournament, and did you enjoy yourself?,' Neeraj asked. To much laughter, Neeraj reminded the audience that Yego had a wonderful time in the hotel, dancing to beats from the 'dhol', a drum used in India. Yego replied that he thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality in India. 'I think the organisation was really nice. I enjoyed every bit of this competition - the accommodation, the hotel, the security, the hospitality, the fans inside the stadium,' Yego said. The Kenyan's only suggestion was to expand the scale of the NC Classic by adding more events. 'Maybe next year, if possible, we can have two or three events. I've seen India doing so many long jumps, triple jumps. We can have these events going on at the same time as the javelin. That will be really nice,' Yego said. 'I love the fans here. On my Instagram, I got a lot of messages from Indians. They really cheer me. I tell them, 'You have your own champion who is doing so well. We want you to push him',' Yego added. 2016 Rio Olympics champion German Thomas Rohler entered the field with a stellar reputation. His personal best of 93.90m achieved at the 2017 Doha Diamond League puts him third on the all-time list of men's javelin. Rohler, however, is now easing his way back from a back injury. At 33, Rohler is not in his prime, and this showed at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. With a best of 75.85m on Saturday, Rohler finished 11th in a field of twelve. The poor showing notwithstanding, Rohler enjoyed the overall experience. 'This was a landmark event for javelin. We all need to be thankful for the work that Neeraj has put into this event. We've seen how much joy all these people had in the stadium. It was almost 15,000 people in the stands coming in to cheer us for javelin spears flying far. That is a beautiful thing,' Rohler said. The heavy crosswind made it difficult for Rohler and his rivals to record big throws. Rohler acknowledged the effect that the stiff wind had on a cool Bengaluru night, but did not offer excuses. 'The wind wasn't perfect, but the event was good. It was all about dealing with the wind. You're forced to adjust the angle of attack. From round one to six, the wind direction kept changing. So all the athletes that managed to get the javelin through the wind did better today,' Rohler said. Rohler explained that he will take a 'step by step' approach to making a full recovery from his back injury. 'I'm just enjoying getting out there and competing. Doing everything with a slower pace has worked very well, and now it's about getting back to higher speeds,' Rohler said. Asked what the biggest takeaway was from the NC Classic, Rohler replied, 'The friendship that we had. We all sat together - Olympic champions on one table - and ate Indian food together.' American Curtis Thompson took his time to adjust to conditions, recording throws of 79.35m, 77.24m, 80.84m and 81.50m to take sixth place. Like Rohler, Thompson had trouble with the wind. 'I've seen strong headwind and tailwind in the USA as well. It is just one of those things that you have to work with. It's all about tweaking small things between each throw,' Thompson said. The 2023 Pan American Games champion stated that javelin is a growing sport in the USA, and events such as the NC Classic serves as a template on how to popularise the sport. 'I'm so happy for Neeraj to have so much support. He's done a lot so far, and he has more to accomplish in the future. I'm so glad to see so many fans out here supporting not just Neeraj but javelin as well. This will help grow our sport,' Thompson said. The 29-year-old from New Jersey had a ready answer when asked if he would like to return for another NC Classic. 'Yes, most definitely,' Thompson said.
News18
5 hours ago
- News18
Neeraj Chopra On NC Classic: 'My Dream Of Giving Back To My Country Came...'
Last Updated: Neeraj Chopra won the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic with a throw of 86.18m at Sree Kanteerava Stadium. Neeraj Chopra, the Golden Boy of Indian athletics, has shared that he has always dreamt of giving back to his country for its relentless support in his pursuit of gold. He believes he has realised this dream with the Neeraj Chopra Classic. The 27-year-old won the inaugural edition of the Neeraj Chopra Classic, a World Athletics gold-level event, with a best throw of 86.18m at Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday. 'I have many to thank – from friends and family to officials and organisations. But for now, I'll keep it simple. Giving back to my country was a small dream of mine that came to life with the Neeraj Chopra Classic. 'Winning it was special, but even more special was the process of putting it together." 'I want to say a big thank you to everyone who played their part in making this possible. To the athletes who came from far, we'll try to do one better next time. And to everyone that turned up at the Kanteerava – this was honestly one of the best atmospheres I've experienced while doing what I love the most," read the post by the two-time Olympic medallist. What Happened At Neeraj Chopra Classic? Kenya's Julius Yego finished second after notching up his season-best throw of 84.51m, while Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathirage came third with a best throw of 84.34m. Chopra, welcomed by 14,593 spectators with thunderous roars and cheers, began with a foul but took the lead with his second attempt of 82.99m. He then thrilled the Bengaluru crowd with the biggest throw of the night at 86.16m on his third attempt. He followed it up with a foul in the fourth attempt, an 84.07m throw in the fifth, and rounded off the event with an 82.22m throw. Chopra began his season by winning the Potch Invitational Meet in Potchefstroom, South Africa, in April before finishing second at the Doha Diamond League, where he breached the elusive 90m mark with a 90.23m throw to reset the Indian national record. He then finished second again at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland, followed by a win at the Paris Diamond League meet last week, claiming the top spot with an 88.16m throw and Ostrava Golden Spike 2025 athletics with an 85.29m throw. (With inputs from IANS) Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Has Bollywood sensation Priyanka Chopra only worked with marquee WWE superstars in films?
Priyanka Chopra is one of the most accomplished names in the business of films and entertainment. The former beauty queen turned to the acting world after her win at the Miss World 2000 and since then, has been a prime fixture of the industry. She conquered Bollywood as an A-lister and successfully transitioned to Hollywood with television series and films. As her career began in a different landscape, Chopra was among the select few to work with some of the biggest WWE superstars of all time. Priyanka Chopra has done major films with WWE superstars Priyanka Chopra's first film with a WWE superstar was an adaptation of the cult classic 'Baywatch', released in 2017. The marquee name from WWE to star alongside the Quantico actress was none other than Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. Chopra played the antagonist Victoria Leeds, who has evil plans and has The Rock's Baywatch team attempting to stop her. She had multiple scenes with the Final Boss and displayed an excellent performance on the silver screen with him. The next major WWE superstar to be cast alongside Priyanka Chopra was The Rock's generation counterpart, John Cena . The duo was a part of the movie, 'Head of State', released on Amazon Prime in 2025. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo Cena played Will Derringer, the President of the United States of America, and Chopra played the role of Noelle Bisset, a senior MI6 agent who is assigned the task of protecting the character and Idris Elba's character, who plays the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sam Clarke. Interestingly, the two superstars, both of whom began their careers in 2002, met each other for the first time on the film's sets. Moreover, Chopra is the only Bollywood actress to work with these two WWE superstars. Apart from her, top actor Deepika Padukone has worked with a top Hollywood star, Vin Diesel, who has worked with both The Rock and John Cena. Piggy Chops performances in the aforementioned movies were exceptional, while Cena and Rock also did justice to the screen time they got with her and the movie overall. So it remains to be seen if Priyanka Chopra might bag a role in a film involving another top name from the world of WWE. Also read: Teddy Long Recalls the Story Regarding His Iconic Catchphrase on SmackDown Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
