‘Freak’
Nadeem, Neeraj’s friend and colleague, can be called a freak. A javelin thrower, who has an unusually short run up, has been struggling to acquire the right javelin to practice. While Neeraj had been practicing around the world and brushing shoulders with the elite, Arshad had been struggling with injury.
Nadeem was born to a Punjabi Jat family in Pakistan’s Punjab and is the third child among eight. Nadeem made his Olympic debut at Tokyo but he has been around the block a fair bit. The rivalry between him and Neeraj had been building for a while. Just before the final, Arshad wished his elder peer luck.
As the Paris evening sky brimmed with eager anticipation, much like the romantic stories that dot the city, the expectation was that Neeraj would perform another miracle. The expectation of a major medal was lingering in the air. It was slightly windy outside the stadium, but ideal for big throws with the javelin inside.
The seats of the colossal 80,000-capacity Stade de France was filled to the brim. The setting demanded it. After all, this is the Olympics. For Neeraj though, the cheers weren’t limited to those emerging from within the walls of this vibrant thousand decibel cauldron. The 1.4 billion back home too would have joined the celebration.
Neeraj walked out to the stadium along with his spears, the projectiles that have fetched him numerous medals in the last three years after the Olympic gold in Tokyo. In 2019, when the world stopped believing in Neeraj, he stepped back, joined hands with coach Klaus Bartonietz, known for his cool head, and physio Ishaan Marwah. The journey had been one scripted in heaven. The company grew on them. Separation anxiety, when the season ended, used to trouble them. The three travelled the world, creating paeans of endearing feats. The silver is endearing too.
Neeraj has devoted the season to the Olympics. He even skipped a few international events in Europe to remain fresh for this moment of history. His adductor had been troubling him for quite some time now. Though it is not an issue right now, he did not want to risk the last two months. He did not want his Olympic dream to go up in smoke. Klaus is in his final leg and may not continue with Neeraj. But we will have to wait and see.
He has already been living his dream but one tick is missing from his illustrious career–the 90m. He wanted to achieve this in 2024 but the season was not to his liking. He had a few niggles here and there and did not compete in as many international competitions as he did last year. This year the entire focus was on the Olympics. The silver is a big deal.