Neeraj Chopra's entrance at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar was in itself extraordinary. The Federation Cup may bring together the best track and field athletes from across India, but none of them arrive with a police escort.
In preparation for the arrival of the Olympic champion, security had been beefed up manifold; the entrance to the warmup track had for the previous three days been manned a solitary security guard who may as well have not been there for all the work he'd been called up to do. Now, there were barricades, and to supplement the private security force, Odisha police. This was Neeraj Chopra, A-grade superstar, one of a kind in this world: and he was being treated with due reverence.
As Chopra stepped out of his car, and walked in, a bunch of kids slipped from behind the security cordon and immediately rushed to him. The security brusquely asked them to stop, they stopped... only for Chopra to tell the men in uniform not to do this. "Let them come," he said, took a phone from one of the boys and took a group selfie. That was just the beginning. From entrance to warm-up area, he was accosted by other athletes, officials, assorted hangers-on. He took time to shake hands with each of them, oblige selfie requests.
As he warmed up, others tentatively stepped forward as they streamed in to warm up for their respective events, and Chopra paused his routine each time to greet them. When the warmup was on in earnest, the volunteer-in-charge of returning his javelin ran over, collected it, and handed it over with a little bow... every time Chopra returned that little bow.
This here was a reminder that there's Chopra the superstar, the best in the world at what he does and there's Chopra the person, a man of the people. And they both co-exist with natural ease.
By the time the javelin event started, the vast bowl of the Kalinga, which had slowly been filling up -- a combination of participating athletes and school children brought in -- had chants of "Neeeeraj, Neeeeraj" ringing through the sticky air. The sudden increase in volume, and the number of photographers on the field of play another indication that this was no normal Federation Cup event.
The event itself was a bit of damp squib. The climate was hot and humid, and energy-sapping, and it was understandable that after throwing a 88.36m in Doha to finish second in the season-opening Diamond League, Chopra would take down the intensity a notch.
That lack of oomph at the start saw DP Manu take an early lead, but by the fourth throw Chopra had overtaken him. Intensity and power upped just enough to get past Manu. This may have been an almost exhibition-like event, but he wasn't leaving the Kalinga without that gold. He didn't throw after that - conserving the body for another bout of travel and the Golden Spike at Ostrava on May 28 - and it was like he knew he wouldn't need to.
This piture says it all. It was big day for Indian athletics. #Media interaction after @Neeraj_chopra1 won gold at 27th national federation senior athletics competition in #Bhubaneshwar.@Media_SAI @RECLindia pic.twitter.com/RV4YSf6YmF
- Athletics Federation of India (@afiindia) May 15, 2024
After the event wrapped up, the normally informal mixed zone became the site of an impromptu press conference - media thronged the small area and questions flew in from across: all answered patiently, the 90m question especially laughed off with typical charm. When asked about his rare, sustained success at global level, he name dropped PV Sindhu, PT Usha, and Milkha Singh as great athletes who'd done it too.
Before it began, though, another gesture that we rarely see from an Indian superstar of this calibre: pausing the PC, asking every journalist to turn around and watch the men's 400m final, refusing to start till it got over.
Neeraj Chopra, asking the press to turn around and watch the 400m. Refused to start till it got over.
(Decent race that, btw, won by Muhammad Ajmal) pic.twitter.com/svo2D1xfnY
- Anirudh (@AnirudhMenon89) May 15, 2024
Competing for the first time in India since he'd become Olympic champion in 2021, Neeraj went through the motions in his event - throwing just hard enough to ensure a win -- but seemed to genuinely enjoy the love he was being shown.
And so now he will return to his structured programme designed carefully to defend his Olympic crown, and those who witnessed him at the Kalinga will return to their daily routine, having seen both Chopra the superstar and Chopra the person live up to all their expectations, and then some.