How powerful can a javelin be?
Around 2,500 years ago, it could be profoundly powerful. In ancient Greece, Athens and Sparta used ‘peltasts’ – infantry specialised in javelin throw – during the Peloponnesian War. In ancient Rome, Julius Ceasar’s legions used javelins to conquer Gaul.
Sounds fancy for a Saturday night binge-watch.
But, how powerful can a javelin be now? On an exhausting Thursday night?
Merely 800 grams in weight, and about 2.70 metres in length. If launched at a perfect angle, ideally 36°, with the optimum power and velocity, it could attain a speed of about 100-110 kilometres per hour, and land a few tens of metres away from the thrower.
That is all about the mechanics. But at the final of the men’s javelin throw at the 2024 Paris Olympics, those 800 grams carried the weight of 1.4 billion hopes.
For a nation that has collectively experienced numerous moments of despondency over the last couple of weeks, that javelin symbolized something profound: hope. And at its helm was Neeraj Chopra – India’s unrivalled athletics champion – who carried the aspirations of winning another Olympic gold medal.
It was not to be. An 87.58m throw was enough to win him the gold medal in Tokyo three years ago, but in Paris, a season-best throw of 89.45m was good enough for only the silver medal.
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Neeraj Did What He Could, But Arshad Nadeem Did What No One Ever Has
Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem did what no javelin thrower had ever done before at the Olympics – recorded a 92.97m throw in his second attempt. Had he not done that, he would still have won the gold medal with his 91.79m throw in the last attempt.
This is not the first occasion of Nadeem creating a new record. With his 90.18m throw at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, he became the first-ever javelin thrower from South Asia to beat the 90m mark.
Nadeem was always likely to be in contention for a place on the podium, but what he achieved in the final was, perhaps, an unforeseen occurrence. For, ever since he went north of the 90m mark, his career has been plagued with injuries.
His best throw in 2023 was merely 87.82m, and his attempt in the qualifying round was recorded at 86.59m. Unassuming in his run-up, Nadeem faulted his first attempt. Then, casually jogged for his second, hopped, and hurled a howitzer.
In all likelihood, Neeraj’s hopes of retaining his crown evaporated after Nadeem’s second attempt. Yet, a silver medal makes him the first-ever Indian track and field athlete to win medals in consecutive Olympics.
A Silver Medal Is Not All That Neeraj Achieved Today
Is a silver medal all Neeraj Chopra achieved today? Maybe not.
So, what were his other, and perhaps, bigger achievements?
For those who closely followed the Indian contingent, this Olympic campaign was filled with more heartbreak than any in recent memory – not because the athletes underperformed, but because they came agonizingly close to winning medals, only to return home empty-handed and burdened with ‘what-ifs.’
After Nishant Dev missed out on a medal due to a contentious decision, Vinesh Phogat lost her chance because of being 100 grams overweight, and Saikhom Mirabai Chanu narrowly missed a medal by 1 kilogram, the nation collectively whispered a silent vow – to never watch the Olympics again, to never hope again, to never dream again.
Yet, they did. 5 crores of those. At 1am in the night. That is a bigger achievement than the silver medal.
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Every Other Athlete Can Win a Silver Medal. Neeraj Chopra Can Only Lose Gold.
Only four hours prior to Neeraj's event, the Indian men’s hockey team had won the bronze medal by beating Spain 2-1, sending the nation into a euphoric frenzy. Earlier, Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh and Swapnil Kusale had done the same.
Yet, here he was, Neeraj Chopra, a silver medallist, sporting a smile that was less of euphoria and more of what-could-have-been. It was the same smile sported by the nation. A nation so desperately starved of medals that even a bronze triumph triggers hysteria within a split second, took its sweet time to make peace with Neeraj standing on the left side of the podium, and not in the middle.
For any other athlete, a silver medal would rightfully have been termed an accomplishment for the ages. Abhinav Bindra could not even qualify for the final round in London, after winning a gold medal in Beijing. Kapil Dev picked up less than half the wickets in the 1987 World Cup than as compared to what he did in the triumphant 1983 World Cup. That had no effect whatsoever on their legacy.
But Neeraj knew, and so did the nation, that a gold medal has slipped through, and right from this very moment, the mission of reclaiming it will commence. That, perhaps, is a bigger achievement than the silver medal.
Fostering Indo-Pak Brotherhood
Nadeem found himself encircled by eager photographers after winning the gold medal in Paris. At the 2023 World Championships in Budapest though, he would have had to celebrate his silver medal in isolation, had Neeraj, the gold medallist, not asked him to join for a photo session.
Nadeem will be showered with rewards when he returns to Pakistan. Singer Ali Zafar has already announced a PKR 1 million prize. Yet, just months ago, Arshad struggled to afford a javelin for the Olympics. When Neeraj heard of this, he urged the Pakistani government to help.
In the world of javelin, an Indo-Pak battle doesn’t breed enmity like other sports. Be it a battle, it fosters brotherhood, wherein right after witnessing their son losing the gold medal, Neeraj’s mother Saroj Devi says ‘Arshad is our son, too,’ while his father Satish Kumar says ‘Sport unites nation, it has united India and Pakistan).
For a sport that has historically been dominated by Europeans, there has never been an occasion where an Olympic podium of the men’s javelin throw did not feature a European. That is, until tonight, with the bronze medal being won by Grenada’s Anderson Peters.
Nadeem once watched Neeraj’s videos for inspiration. Now, they stood together on the podium. Whether the stadium’s speakers played Qaumi Taranah or Jana Gana Mana is a trivial detail. More importantly, both Indian and Pakistani flags were hoisted at the Stade de France.
Add that to Neeraj’s list of achievements.
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