Not Olympic medals, World Championship wins, Neeraj Chopra's Actual Greatness Is Because Of His...

Indian star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra needs no introduction as athlete is one of top stars in country. Neeraj Chopra has turned a cricket-watching nation into taking an interest in javelin throw. star athlete won a gold medal for India in 2020 Olympics and was one of nation's biggest hopes of getting a gold medal in latest edition of Olympics held in Paris. He might not have won gold but cemented his place as one of India's greatest by winning silver. 

Apart from being a medal-winning athlete and a star in India, what makes Neeraj Chopra great is his thought process and his work ethic.  

Neeraj Chopra Post-Olympics 

In 2024 Paris Olympics, Neeraj Chopra was only Indian to win silver medal. Despite this big achievement, Chopra wasn't happy as he himself expected to win gold. Neeraj Chopra is always on lookout for how he can perform better and asks himself questions such as ‘How can I do it better?’.

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This self-reflection within oneself is a very important aspect for any athlete which helps m to identify faults and problems and fix those to take ir game to next level. Chopra carries around mentality of how he can be best. It was clearly evident in past month. Despite winning his second straight Olympic medal (which is a huge achievement in India), Neeraj clearly looked a little dejected. 

Not resting on his laurels, Chopra just a few days after Olympics decided to compete in Lausanne Diamond League amidst injury concerns. While most Indian athletes from India are taking a break or in jubilation mode, Neeraj is looking to finish his season on a high. It might be a recovery method to get over Olympics 'loss'.

Neeraj was able to improve upon his throw from Olympics as he threw his javelin a distance of 89.49 meters. It was better than that Olympics throw and was his season-best. It was also third straight 89 metre throw he has thrown in last 2 weeks. 

After event when speaking to PTI, Neeraj expressed disappointment even after improving upon his throw from Olympics. 

" feeling wasn't great at first, but I am happy with my throw, especially second (career) best throw on my last attempt. It was a tough start, but comeback was really nice and I enjoyed fighting spirit I showed," "Even though my early throws were around 80-83m, I pushed hard in last two attempts finishing strong. Competing at this high level, it's important to stay mentally tough and fight through."

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Statements like se give insights into strong mentality that Neeraj Chopra carries and how he is always looking to be better. 

How Neeraj Chopra Stands Out Amongst Or Indian Athletes

As Olympics concluded, almost all of Indian athletes returned back to India to take some time off and enjoy after a tough and grueling competition. As for Chopra, he did not take time off but rar participated in Lausanne Diamond League where he ended up improving upon his throw from Olympics and finish second within span of 15 days.

It is also important to note that Neeraj Chopra did all of this amongst injury concerns. work ethic, mentality, fitness, and drive to always win put Neeraj Chopra a notch above many athletes India has produced. It is this passion that has resonated with public who have become emotionally invested in his journey. Neeraj makes people stay awake at 1 am in night to watch a javelin throw event, something which was unheard of only a few years back. India cannot wait to see Neeraj break 90m mark. 90m barrier is not just Neeraj's goal but India's goal. When he does breach that mark, jubilation in country would be huge. 

Neeraj is not called India's Golden Boy for nothing, he is only after gold and never settles for less.