From outsider to superstar: Neeraj Chopra and the rise of Indian athletics

Neeraj Chopra has become the face of a sporting revolution in India. The 25-year-old javelin thrower is no longer simply a promising athlete from a village north of Delhi. He is a world champion, an Olympic gold medallist, a national icon, and a symbol of what Indian athletes can achieve when they believe in themselves. His victory at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest made him the first Indian athlete ever to win a world title in athletics. It was a breakthrough that resonated far beyond the throwing circle.

Chopra's rise has been extraordinary. In a country where cricket dominates the sports landscape, he has made javelin throw a topic of everyday conversation. Children who once dreamed only of hitting a cricket ball now ask their parents for a javelin. Clubs report being overwhelmed by young hopefuls. The sport has found a new hero, and the hero has found a new mission: to keep Indian athletics moving forward.

Key facts at a glance

• Neeraj Chopra became India's first athletics world champion in Budapest in 2023.
• He won Olympic gold in the javelin throw at the Tokyo 2020 Games, held in 2021.
• He was the second Indian individual athlete to win an Olympic gold medal, after Abhinav Bindra.
• At the Weltklasse Zürich Diamond League meeting in 2023, he finished second with 85.71 metres, four days after his World Championships triumph.
• He has a personal best of 89.94 metres and is chasing the magic 90-metre mark.
• He trains in Magglingen, Switzerland, and has close ties to the country through his management and a tourism campaign.
• His Olympic victory on 7 August led to the creation of National Javelin Day in India.
• He has 6.5 million Instagram followers, while cricket superstar Virat Kohli has 257 million.

A near-miss in Zurich and the magic 90 metres

At the Weltklasse Zürich meeting, Chopra was not at his absolute best. Just four days after winning the world title, he managed a throw of 85.71 metres. That was enough for second place, but it was not the 90-metre throw he has been chasing for years. Before the competition, he told high jump world champion Gianmarco Tamberi about his longing to finally break the magical barrier. Tamberi, ever the showman, replied that Chopra should take care of 89 metres and he would use the crowd to carry the spear the final metre. The plan did not quite work, but Chopra could live with the result. He was, after all, the newly crowned world champion.

The 90-metre mark is more than a number for Chopra. It represents the final step from excellent to historic. Only a handful of throwers have ever crossed that line. For an athlete who grew up in a country without a deep javelin tradition, reaching it would be another barrier broken. Chopra speaks about it with calm determination rather than obsession. He knows that such a throw requires perfect technique, speed, strength, and timing. It cannot be forced. But it remains a clear target, and those around him believe it is only a matter of time.

Olympic gold and the burden of fame

Chopra's Olympic gold in Tokyo changed everything. He returned home to a level of adulation that few Indian athletes have ever experienced. For more than three months, he was swept from one appointment to another. His training came to a complete standstill. State governments showered him with gifts: land, cars, and a job for life. He became a millionaire many times over. The country celebrated a new hero, and the hero had almost no time to be an athlete.

That experience left a mark. Chopra realised that he could not say yes to every request if he wanted to remain at the top. After his World Championships success in Budapest, he decided not to return to India immediately. Instead, he stayed in Europe to train. He wanted to avoid the same cycle of events, ceremonies, and autograph sessions that had cost him so much preparation time after Tokyo. It was a mature decision. Fame is not a burden he rejects, but he has learned to manage it. He still wants to fulfil every autograph request, but he also knows that his performances are what made those requests possible in the first place.

Training in Switzerland and the Swiss connection

Chopra has found a second home in Magglingen, Switzerland. He prepared for the World Championships there, and he returned after Budapest to train for the Diamond League final and the Asian Games. The Swiss connection is not accidental. His global business affairs are handled by a Swiss management company, and he has become a familiar figure in the country. He says he feels very comfortable in Switzerland, and the feeling appears to be mutual.

In India, Chopra is also the face of Switzerland Tourism. His image appears on huge billboards across the country. The filming of the associated commercials took him from Geneva to Interlaken, and he describes the experience as a holiday. Now he wants to see Switzerland in winter. He hopes to invite his family for a week. Many of them have never left India. It would be a special moment for a man who has travelled the world but remains deeply connected to his roots. There is, however, a humorous downside to the campaign. People constantly call him believing he can organise their holidays in Switzerland. He cannot, but the calls keep coming.

From Khandra to the world stage

Chopra grew up in Khandra, a village about 100 kilometres north of Delhi. His journey began at the age of 13 when he threw a javelin for the first time. It flew over 40 metres. He says he felt a special connection immediately. At that time, javelin throw was firmly in European hands. The idea that an Indian teenager could one day dominate the event seemed far-fetched. But Chopra kept improving. In 2016, he set a U-20 world record with a throw of 86.48 metres. That was the moment he knew he could make it. The record announced him to the world, and it gave him the confidence to aim higher.

His career has since been a series of milestones. He won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2018 Asian Games. He won Olympic gold in Tokyo. He took silver at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene. Then, in 2023, he went one better and became world champion in Budapest. Along the way, he has become a national symbol of possibility. For Indian athletics, his success was a kind of dam breaking. It showed that the country could compete at the highest level in a sport long dominated by others.

National Javelin Day and the next generation

The impact on Indian athletics has been immediate. Two Indian long jumpers are now ranked third and fourth in the world annual list. The men's 4x400-metre relay team impressed at the World Championships in Budapest with a fifth-place finish. Chopra believes the biggest obstacle was always mental. Indian athletes, he says, now stand up for themselves. They no longer assume that international success is reserved for others. That shift in mindset may prove to be his greatest legacy.

First smaller initiatives have appeared. The 7th of August, the day of his Olympic victory, was turned into National Javelin Day, with youth meetings in many places. Clubs are being overrun by children who want to emulate Chopra. Javelin throw has at least some parallels with cricket, India's national sport, because both involve a throwing motion. That may help attract young athletes. But cricket still has a huge head start. Virat Kohli, the cricket superstar, has 257 million Instagram followers. Chopra has 6.5 million. The gap is enormous, but it is narrowing. In a cricket-mad country, a javelin thrower has become a genuine celebrity.

Obstacles at home and a changing mentality

The road ahead for Indian athletics is still long. A revealing episode shows how far the country has to go. In Delhi, the Thyagraj Stadium was locked early in the evening so that a senior government official could walk his dog there. The incident caused outrage, but it illustrated the low priority that athletics sometimes receives. Chopra is aware of the problem. He says things are fortunately changing. People are slowly learning about athletics and understanding that athletes' training has priority. More importantly, the athletes themselves are standing up for their rights. They are no longer willing to accept being pushed aside.

Chopra is also learning to stand up for himself. He has turned down lucrative partnerships so that he can set his own priorities. Those priorities are clear: training, the magic 90 metres, and the heights that may still follow. He knows that every appearance, every commercial, and every public commitment takes time away from the runway. At 25, he is entering the prime years of his career. He wants to make them count.

The road ahead: priorities, 90 metres, and global ambitions

For now, Chopra's focus remains on competition. After the World Championships, he planned to compete at the Diamond League final and then at the Asian Games. He has spoken about the need for international meetings in India so that Indian fans can connect with athletics. He wants the sport to grow at home, not just through his own results but through a structure that gives young athletes a chance. He understands that one superstar cannot carry a sport forever. But one superstar can open a door.

Chopra's story is still being written. He has already achieved more than almost anyone thought possible for an Indian javelin thrower. He has won Olympic gold, a world title, and the hearts of millions. He has become a bridge between India and the world, between cricket and athletics, between a small village and the biggest stadiums. Yet he remains focused on the next throw. The 90-metre mark is still out there. The world record may be a step too far for now, but no one who has watched Chopra's career would rule it out entirely. For the moment, he is training, throwing, and chasing the magic number.

Source: Neue Zürcher Zeitung News