How the stars aligned for Chopra

When I was handed The Neeraj Chopra Story — The Man Who Made History by Norris Pritam for a review, I was quite intrigued. A lot has been written and spoken about Chopra, the second-ever individual Olympic gold medal winner from India. Even before Chopra became a national icon after hurling the javelin into the Tokyo night sky in August 2021, many did know about his early struggles, how he became an accidental javelin thrower, and how sheer bloody-minded determination carried him from the small village of Panipat to the top of the world.

Considering the book has been penned by former athlete-turned-sports-journalist Norris Pritam, who has covered over six Olympics Games from Atlanta 1996 to Rio de Janeiro 2016 and seen the struggles and rise of various athletes up close, I looked forward to what extra insights he may have to offer about the greatest field athlete India has produced. To some extent he does, but let me forewarn you, the book is largely about how talented athletes in the past could have broken the glass ceiling much earlier if they were accorded the same facilities as Chopra. It’s more a cry about the past shortcomings owing to administrative apathy, among other things, and less about the ‘The Man Who Made History’.

Pritam, who confesses that his biggest regret is not having watched Chopra win the coveted gold in Japan, does write about the superstar athlete a fair bit but the constant comparisons between him and the struggles of his predecessors in almost every chapter sometimes make you wonder if the author just used Chopra as a platform to rant about the past. 

The author, as many journalists have done, does visit Chopra’s tiny village of Panipat, and speaks to his family members who are still very much grounded, much like the superstar himself. He describes how the goal to lose weight as an obese kid — thanks to his grandmother’s fat-rich diet — eventually turned into an ambition to become the best in the world. Pritam chronicles Chopra’s early struggles, the kind most athletes from small towns endure, the timely role played by the Athletics Federation of India and the Sports Authority of India in identifying and nurturing his talent, the way sponsors matter, as well as the part played by the Indian Army—  the silent guardian angel of Indian sports.

Pritam also talks about Chopra’s rise through the ranks as a gifted junior, what a playful kid he was and what a prankster he still is, how he has continued to maintain his friendship with literally everyone who has played a role in his rise to stardom, how he manages to shut himself out before competitions and how he’s constantly able to deliver on the big stage without letting pressure affect him one bit: Be it winning the World Under-20 gold in 2016, the two Asian Games gold (2018, 2022) and the big one — the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

The author goes on to discuss the role of luck in Chopra winning the Olympic medal which only Abhinav Bindra and the celebrated men’s hockey team were able to do earlier. Chopra suffered a devastating right elbow injury in the middle of 2019 and didn’t have much option but to go under the knife. If the pandemic hadn’t forced the postponement of the Olympics, Chopra would have missed his chance. That’s not the only ‘luck’ the author goes on to talk about; he also speaks about how his great opponent German Johannes Vetter faltered miserably in Tokyo, making it a tad easier for Chopra to outshine all. Well, yes, the stars did align for Chopra, but the man keeps on delivering on big occasions. Ultimately, you make your own luck, don’t you?

In between all this is a recollection of the struggles of yesteryear athletes like the late great Milkha Singh, Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, P T Usha, Sriram Singh, Anju Bobby George, late Shivnath Singh and several other hidden gems, many of whom the current generation may not be aware of. In part, it’s a tribute to them for all their hard work, sacrifices and the author’s regret about these greats being born in the wrong era. Chopra’s rise and the struggles of the past. The stuff about Chopra is nothing new — most of it is published — but the recollection is a good history lesson.