By Elias Makori
Organiser, host and tournament winner Neeraj Chopra was all over in Bengaluru on Saturday night, the jack-of-all-trades but very much the master of the javelin throw.
An impressive crowd of 14,593 people turned up at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium – home of Indian Super League football club, Bengaluru FC – for the Neeraj Chopra Classic on Saturday with World and Olympic champion Chopra shifting roles from organizer, to host, to competitor and also guest and part-time journalist on a night to remember for throwers and fans alike.
At one point, Chopra, 27 – who is coached by the Czech Republic’s world javelin record holder Jan Zelezny – turned reporter at the post-event press conference, posing questions to the silver medalist, Kenya’s 2015 World champion Julius Yego.
“Was everything okay for you? You’re one of the most senior athletes; you’ve travelled the world. Could you share a piece of advice?” he asked with Yego’s answer politically correct: “What should I say? Everything was nice.”
Chopra was also quite visible during breaks in the live broadcast of the inaugural tournament on numerous channels, appearing in multiple commercials.
Owing to his success with the spear, the Indian javelin icon is a marketer’s dream in a populous nation and has been contracted for commercials and as brand ambassador by multiple corporates, including sportswear firm Under Armour, Cred, a credit card management platform, Audi India automobiles, Samsung mobiles, plant-based meat brand GoodDot and battery firm Eveready Industries India Limited.
In the end on Saturday night, multi-tasking Chopra’s throw of 86.18 metres, off his third attempt, saw him take the gold medal at the Classic ahead of Kenya’s early contender Yego who conjured up a season’s best 84.51, with Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage third with 84.34m.
It was a night that certainly played a huge role in marketing the javelin throw in a cricket-mad nation with President William Ruto, back home, joining in celebrating Yego’s return to form.
“Congratulations @JuliusYegoKE on finishing second at the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic in India. Your determination to succeed is a powerful inspiration to our young athletes, encouraging them to pursue their dreams with focus, discipline and self-belief. Well done,” President Ruto posted on his socials.
Yego had thrown down the gauntlet by becoming the first man to break the 80-metre mark with an opening throw of 80.07m and danced around the 80-metre mark throughout the night.
Brazilian Luiz Mauricia Da Silva, winner at the Absa Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi in May, then stretched the mark to 80.31 with Chopra, throwing last, gladly taking up the challenge with an opening 82.99m.
Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage then joined the party with 84.34 to take the lead as a headwind at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium troubled some of the throwers.
Yego found his season’s best 84.51m in the fourth round after Chopra had regained control with the championship-winning 86.18m before the Indian legend fouled and then hurled 82.22m to wind up on top of the podium.
“I was expecting a better result. The wind affected my performance. Thank you all so much for coming. Hope you enjoyed it,” Chopra told the adoring home crowd.
“Mentally it was quite tough for me because I knew the eyes of everyone here was on me. It was very good, had the support of everyone – World Athletics, AFI, Karnataka government, sponsors.
“The most important was to ensure the international athletes are happy, which is the case. The way people responded, we will organise more events.
“A special thanks to the (co-organisers) JSW team. My family is also here. I was a bit nervous performing in front of them,” said the former Olympic champion.
Yego was happy that after a long spell battling injury, things were slowly coming together, with qualification to the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September already secured.
“This was a fantastic competition. Congratulations to Neeraj for organizing such a competition. The atmosphere was great… we love you, the fans,” Yego, 36, the elder statesman in the 12-strong field said after the championship, adding that he’s happy to regain consistency.
“The competition was good and I really enjoyed it. It was my season’s best and I’m coming back slowly after a few years struggling with injuries.
“But I really liked the competitions and having my season’s best here in India… I’m happy.”
Yego stressed that his main focus from now is to train for the World Championships to be held in Tokyo from September 13 to 21 at the Olympic Stadium.
“I’m going back to training from now and I think Silesia (August 16) will be the next competition, and maybe the last. I could do two Diamond League meetings if I get the points but my main focus is to build momentum for Tokyo… It is very important now for me.”
Monaco is the next stop for the Wanda Diamond League series on July 11, followed by meetings in London (July 19), Silesia, Poland (August 16), Lausanne, Switzerland (August 20), Brussels, Belgium (August 22) and the final in Zurich, Switzerland (August 27 and 28).
Top 8 Results at the Neeraj Chopra Javelin Competition in Bengaluru, India:
1. Neeraj Chopra (India, 86.18m),
2. Julius Yego (Kenya, 84.51),
3. Rumesh Pathirage (Sri Lanka, 84.34m),
4. Sachin Yadav (India, 82.33),
5. Cyprian Mrzygłod (Poland, 82.23),
6. Curtis Thompson (USA, 81.5),
7. Luiz Mauricio Da Silva (Brazil, 80.31),
8. Yashvir Singh (India, 79.65m)
Elias Makori, the founder and Managing Editor of Pura Vida Sports Africa, is a veteran sports journalist with over 30 years’ experience. Makori is a holder of a Masters in Sports Management degree from Barcelona’s Cruyff Institute and is also the 2012 World Athletics Journalist of the Year, three-time Kenya Sports Journalist of the Year and twice Africa Sports Media Personality of the Year.
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