Neeraj Chopra is the second Indian to win an individual gold medal in Olympics.
Neeraj Chopra, the star Indian javelin thrower, spoke about his popularity and fame in India. He also talked about how cricket is the most followed game in India and admitted that he can’t match the fame Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni have.
Neeraj Chopra became only the second Indian to win an individual gold medal, a feat he achieved in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Chopra, in an interview with Sportstar, acknowledged that cricket remains the most beloved sport in India, but he aspired that javelin also reaches similar levels of popularity in the country.
"If you respect your sport and feel satisfied with it, then nothing else should matter. At the Doha Diamond League, I was asked how popular I was in India. I never tried to compare myself with the likes of Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni because I'm very well aware of the reality of what I am in India,” Chopra said to Sportstar.
"Yes, obviously, after the Olympics, people recognize me a lot more, but I know there is a stark difference in my popularity compared to that of a cricketer. Cricket is played in every single alley in the country. It's not like people practice javelin throw in the same way," the javelin ace added.
Neeraj Chopra stated that he was willing to accept responsibility for himself and perform in such a way that more and more people began watching Javelin and closely following the sport.
Chopra also called for more world-class javelin events like the Diamond League to be held in India for youngsters to become interested in the sport and make it popular.
"I don't want any shortcuts to make my sport popular. I want my sport to become popular with my hard work and effort. If there are more javelin-based competitions in India, like the Diamond League, people will become more interested in watching and following the sport. With talented javelin athletes in India, there should be national-level leagues to compete. This would help to boost the sport in India," he further said.
Neeraj Chopra will have a competition in the javelin event with Anderson Peters, Jakub Vadlejch, and Amjad Nadeem. The Paris Olympics begin on July 26.
(Sportstar inputs)