Neeraj Chopra is on top of the world. He's just won India's first ever athletics World Championships gold. He has the India flag wrapped around his broad shoulders and every camera, phone and otherwise, in the house focused on his face. He's well and truly the centre of everyone's attention. Which is when he notices something: Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, his friend, competitor and silver medalist on the day, is standing by himself at a distance, unsure of what to do. The moment Neeraj sees this, he calls Nadeem over to celebrate together.
At the time it was a nothing moment, missed by most, but from a broader perspective, it was everything. It was another example of what truly sets Neeraj Chopra apart.
On his sporting accomplishments alone Chopra is already a unique Indian athlete. No compatriot has been Olympic champion, world champion, Commonwealth Games champion, Asian Games champion, Diamond League trophy winner. No one has even come close to that. Nor has anyone else exhibited the elite consistency he has over the past half-decade: not finishing outside the top 3 at any major event he's been to. And at 25, he promises he's just getting started.
There's a rare hunger there, to not just conquer the world but go around and do it all again. It's what has always marked out the great sportsmen of our times, but for an Indian to have this burning ambition? For an Indian to then go and back it all up?
Those are the big things. What elevates Neeraj even higher are those little 'nothing moments'. What he does on the field is captured by cameras for posterity. What he does off it could lift Indian sport in the same way.
His friendship with Nadeem - it goes back several years - is remarkable in the current political climate. That was not a one-off gesture; remember the incident with the javelin in Tokyo? In fact the strength of the bonds was underscored by his mother soon after he won gold on Sunday.
माँ की चैम्पियन बात
रिपोर्टर -पाकिस्तान के प्लेयर को हरा कर विश्व विजेता बना है
नीरज की माँ सरोज देवी- देखो जी मैदान में सारे खेलन आळे हैं कोई न कोई तो जीत करेगा तो उसमें पाकिस्तान की, हरयाणे की कोई बात नी। अर बड़ी,खुशी की बात है वो पाकिस्तान वाला जीतता वो बी बड़ी खुशी थी pic.twitter.com/46ndnd1QpL
- Mandeep Punia (@mandeeppunia1) August 28, 2023
She was asked a rather provocative question: "India's Neeraj Chopra has become champion after defeating a player from Pakistan [What are your thoughts?]". Her reply: "Look, once you're on the field, everyone's a sportsperson. One or the other will win, so there is no question of Pakistan or Haryana in that. It is a matter of great happiness that the one from Pakistan could have won, it was a great happiness."
Typically, Neeraj has rarely stayed silent on the big issues. He was the highest profile athlete to stand up for the wrestlers when so many didn't. "As a nation, we are responsible for safeguarding the integrity and dignity of every individual, athlete or not," he tweeted. "What's happening should never happen." It's hard to argue with that, isn't it?
यह देखकर मुझे बहुत दुख हो रहा है | There has to be a better way to deal with this. https://t.co/M2gzso4qjX
- Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) May 28, 2023
Rarely has India seen a champion athlete so grounded, so comfortable in his own skin, so salt of the earth. There is no inferiority complex, no constant urge to promote himself or shout out his credentials. He's unapologetically Indian, Haryanvi. His English is fractured but his message never is. Right after winning the medal the first thing he did was thank his countrypersons for staying up past midnight to watch him. The next thing he did was to tell everyone to keep at it, in whatever field they were in, because, and he points at his gold medal, "we can be anybody we want to be."
It's why Sunday's javelin final, with three Indians finishing in the top six - the first time ever for any nation in this event at the World Championships - was no coincidence; he is an acknowledged role model for his javelin peers. But he played a more tangible role too: When fellow Worlds finalist Kishore Kumar Jena was struggling to get a visa to compete in Budapest, Neeraj escalated the issue and played a vital role in sorting the issue out. When was the last time we saw an Indian sportsperson use their soft power to help a rival? Perhaps it's because he doesn't see them as rivals, but fellow travelers along the same path.
Just heard that there are issues with Kishore Jena's VISA, preventing him from entering Hungary for the World C'ships. I hope the authorities are able to find a solution, as this is one of the biggest moments of his career. Let's do everything we can. ��@MEAIndia @DrSJaishankar
- Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) August 17, 2023
It goes beyond javelin: It's why when he goes to schools, children are reduced to tears of joy at the sight of him, why he's invited to give pep talks to a junior India cricket team ahead of a World Cup final, why he occupies a mindspace that's almost exclusively been dominated by cricket till now.
When asked, while in Budapest, about the historic moon landing, he made it a point to also include the incredible exploits of Praggnanandhaa at the chess world cup in his words of praise.
He's always done it. Ask Rohit Yadav or any of the young javelin stars in the country. Ask M Sreeshankar, the world-class long jumper, or high jumping decathlete Tejaswin Shankar: Neeraj is always there - from wherever in the world he may be at that time - with a word of advice, or an empathetic ear, when a fellow athlete needs him.
And that's the beauty of it. He understands the social responsibility that comes with the role of sporting superhero, and he's playing both to perfection. He is already among the best athletes India has ever produced, but he could soon lay claim to being the greatest Indian sportsperson of all.
Neeraj Chopra is one of us, but he's the best of us. And that's why, on this national sports day, it's worth celebrating everything he stands for... on, and off the field of play.