Don't expect gold every time, pleads Chopra

Sachin Tendulkar felt it every time he walked out to bat. Virat Kohli feels it each time he takes the strike. Neeraj Chopra is a relatively new kid on the block but he is already experiencing it. It wouldn't be a stretch to state that no Indian athlete, save the cricketers, had so many expectations pinned on him every time he took the field.

Ever since Chopra hurled his javelin to India's maiden Olympic gold in athletics in Japan last year, the youngster has been carrying the pressure of finishing atop the podium every single event he enters.

Pressure is indeed a privilege but it also has a threshold limit. To win gold every single time he competes is humanly impossible but in a country that can count its truly world-class athletes on the fingers of one hand, the expectations can be unrealistic and athletes are resigned to this reality.

"Yahi toh dikkat hai, har kisi ko gold hi chahiye (This is exactly the problem, everyone wants gold only)," said Chopra, who on Thursday added another feat by becoming the first Indian to win the Diamond League Finals title in Zurich, in a virtual interaction on Friday. "One has to understand from deep within that athletics events involve intense competition. Top athletes from all over the world will be there. There is plenty of pressure already. So one has to temper down their expectations.

"When I won silver in the World Championships, a lot of people had come to me and asked 'why silver this time, why no gold'?

"As for me, I just give my 100 percent that day. I try to shut the expectation part because it will only make my job more difficult.

"I think it goes beyond the colour of the medal, we have to support our athletes who don't win medals, and not just focus on the gold."

In Zurich, Chopra began with a foul but jumped to the top spot with a throw of 88.44m -- his fourth career best -- in his second attempt, and that turned out to be his winning effort.

He had 88.00m, 86.11m, 87.00m and 83.60m in his next four throws.

Right after the Olympics, commercial obligations, endless felicitation functions, brief illness and a prolonged rest took a toll on Chopra and delayed his return to competition. Wiser by the experience, the Haryana lad has his plans chalked out.

"Last year was a very new experience for me, balancing was difficult, but I learned from last season," Chopra said. "This time for the few commercial commitments I will give dates in advance. When the training time comes, I will be fully focussed on that so that the preparation is taken care of well.

"I will not rest too much, will start training early, and keep my weight in check by not eating much."

Chopra is yet to cross the 90m barrier though he has come very close to achieving that. He is, however, not bothered about the mark one bit so long as he is winning medals for the country.

"I am not disappointed at all, it's (90m) just a magical mark. It all depends on how you perform on that day, how you handle the situation... If you touch 90m and don't win, then also it doesn't matter. There are times when medals come with a shorter throw or slower timing. What it means is the conditions were tough and you managed to adjust better than the rest.

"So there is no 90m pressure on me, no disappointment, when it has to happen, it will happen."

Commonwealth gold, Asian Games and Asian Championships gold, Olympic gold, World Championships silver and now Diamond League Final gold. So, is Neeraj Chopra the greatest Indian athlete then?

"I don't think I should think about that, it's up to the people to think. They have their personal opinions. I will not say anything on that, it's better people think like that," he said.