On the night of August 7 at Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium, Neeraj Chopra threw a javelin far into history. He won India’s first ever gold in athletics at the Olympics. It was his second attempt, which registered a distance of 87.58m, that clinched the gold.
Nine days after that historic moment, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked Neeraj why he had looked so confident that he would triumph with that second attempt of his. The interaction occurred on Monday morning at the Prime Minister’s residence, where Mr. Modi hosted a breakfast meeting with the Olympians.
The video of the event was released on Wednesday by Mr. Modi through his social media accounts. Early on in the video, you could watch him asking the young athlete about his winning throw: “I was surprised to find you in a victorious mood after your second attempt and starting celebrations. You must have been so confident. How did it happen?”
Neeraj said that from his effort, he sensed that it was the best throw for the night: “It all comes from experience and training.” The Prime Minister praised the young athlete’s attitude: “Success doesn’t get to your head and loss doesn’t stay in your mind.”
Neeraj may have been India’s brightest star in Tokyo, but there were others too who shone brilliantly on the sport’s greatest stage. The Tokyo Olympics saw India come up with its greatest performance ever, with seven medals.
And it was not just the winners who had breakfast with the Prime Minister. There were also others, who may have failed to reach the podium despite putting in their best efforts.
Mr. Modi had words of consolation for them. When Deepika Kumari, the World No. 1 archer, told him that she had disappointed at the Olympics, her third, he said: “A sportsperson never loses hope.”
He also complimented C.A. Bhavani Devi, the first Indian fencer ever to qualify for the Olympics. Examining her sword, he told the delighted fencer: “You have inspired the children of India to take up this new sport.”
The Prime Minister also kept a promise. During an online chat before the Olympics with badminton star P.V. Sindhu, who would go on to win her second successive medal in women’s singles, he had told her they would have an ice cream after her victory. Sindhu’s diet had been so strict that she was abstaining from her favourite food.
Earlier, she had presented her racquet to him and Neeraj his javelin. The Prime Minister asked them whether he could auction their equipment to raise funds for a good cause and the athletes readily agreed.
