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Kishore Jena was content with his throw.
He will soon don the India shirt, at the French capital, in the 2024 Summer Olympics, and hurl the javelin. Yet, till the last Olympics, it was not a dream that kept him awake at night.
He was content with his throw – not on the literal field, but in the metaphorical field of life. Kishore – son to Keshab Jena, a paddy farmer from a minuscule village in coastal Odisha called Kothasahi, and the youngest brother to six elder sisters – could not have demanded more. Rather, he was not aware one could demand more.
What did he have?
Most importantly, a government job with the Central Indian Security Force (CISF), secured through sports quota in 2018.
And, a fairly decent career in javelin. He had created a new state record in 2017 with a 72.77m throw.
The Proverbial ‘Something Clicked’
It was only three years prior to the record’s creation that Jena picked up the javelin for the first time. Having initially been a volleyball player, the transformation came at the advice of Laxman Baral, a former state champion.
And so, during the Tokyo Olympics, Kishore was content to be a spectator. Until he saw Neeraj Chopra – an Indian compatriot in the same sport, and a couple of years younger – win the gold medal.
The proverbial ‘something clicked’ saw its first onset. The ignition was further fuelled by the words of his CISF coach, Jagbir Singh, who claimed Kishore was one 75m throw away from getting inducted in the national camp.
Only a couple of months since Neeraj stood atop the Tokyo podium, Jena arrived in New Delhi for the National Open Javelin Throw Championship.
74.26m. 74 centimetres shy of the target.
Albeit, enough to embark on a new mission. It was now that Kishore knew that one could demand more. He demanded more. And three years later, he will be competing at the Olympics, alongside Neeraj.
Kishore Sees the Positive Aspect of Burgeoning Competition
Reflecting on the nascent growth of the sport in India during a conversation with The Quint, Kishore says:
It feels really great to see that the javelin craze is gripping India, because I remember that this was not always the case. Our sport became popular in India only after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Kishore is part of a burgeoning group of Indian javelin throwers whose horizons have broadened since 2021. Many are capable of breaching the 80m mark, as demonstrated at the National Inter-State Athletics Championship last month. An 80.84m throw was good enough for merely the third place for Kishore.
The 28-year-old sees the positive aspect of the competition.
I think this competition is very beneficial for our growth, because even when we are competing in Indian tournaments now, it feels as if we are playing in an international tournament. 80m throw to India mein kuch nahin hain abhi(80m throws have become a regular occurrence). Nearly every Indian javelin thrower now has the ability to throw 80m. I think this is a positive sign, it is a sign of better things to come.
Dealing with Injuries
Kishore’s staggering progress saw him breaching the 80m mark on seven occasions in 2023. An 84.77m throw earned him fifth place at the World Athletics Championships, whilst with a Personal Best of 87.54m, he won the silver medal at the Asian Games, standing alongside Neeraj on the podium.
Albeit, the ongoing year has been challenging for him, wherein Kishore recorded an 80m+ throw in only one of five competitions.
He attributes the recent dip to injury troubles.
We are athletes, injuries and off-form are parts of our lives. Of course, every athlete would want to be at the peak of his game at all times, but it is not possible to do well in every competition. For me, injuries have been worrisome, but also a great learning curve. I have faced injuries when everything was going smoothly in my career, so injuries ne kaafi kuch sikha gaya (injuries taught me things aplenty). The important thing is that I am getting back to my best, slowly and steadily, and I am confident my performance will only improve from here.
Reclaiming Rhythm
Indeed, signs of Kishore reclaiming his lost rhythm were visible in his last two competitions. He threw 80.84m in Panchkula, followed by 78.10m in the Paris Diamond League.
Talking about his preparation, he adds:
With each passing competition, I am learning new things. It is all about the experience that I can gain from these competitions. I have been making technical adjustments to enhance my performance.
Elaborating on the support he has received in his journey, Kishore adds:
Every athlete needs support from somewhere, because as you know, most of the athletes come from a middle-class background. The main support I think athletes need are accommodation, travel, a dietician and a psychologist. I’ve got support in these areas from the Reliance Foundation.
The Only Target at the Olympics
India saw two athletes on the podium in Hangzhou, and a repeat in Paris would be historic. When asked if he had discussed this with Neeraj, Kishore replied:
Not really. We do catch up at times. He checks up on me every now and then, asks how things are going in practice, but we don’t have discussions on a regular basis.
In his maiden Olympics appearance, barely three years since the realisation of it being a possibility, Kishore is competing against himself.
My focus has always been to do better than what I did previously, so that is my target for the Olympics. I am focused and working hard, things are going well, so I hope you will see improvement at the Olympics.
Not the podium, not the medal, but Kishore Jena’s target is beating his Personal Best of 87.54. For, to beat others, Kishore now needs to beat himself.
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