A press conference with Olympic javelin-throw champion Neeraj Chopra is an experience like few others in Indian sport. Not just because of his accomplishments but because of how well he uses his words and understands his subject.
It's a no-nonsense discussion where he accommodates even silly questions, turning them into a moment to learn. He is sharp without being cutting, witty without sounding curt and enjoys explaining his craft in detail while not shying away from either myth-busting or making a joke.
This eloquence has greatly risen since his gold medal in Tokyo, something he admits gave him confidence to speak up, and has made for a rare, engaging Indian athlete who is open with communication and to feedback.
In a world of anodyne quotes, he's worth the money... with the gold around his neck and the golden words.
On Monday, a day after topping the field for the second straight Diamond League meet despite an injury setback, he spoke at length to the media during an interaction organised by the Sports Authority of India. For about an hour, the 25-year-old answered every question, however repetitive and gave some quotable quotes.
Here are a few examples, from just one press conference. Otherwise, the list could go on.
When asked about winning gold at the recent Diamond League:
Before he went to answer the question, he corrected the wrong assumption with a polite smile.
"Woh confusion main aaj door karoonga, sorry. [Sorry, let me clear this confusion today] There are no gold medals at the Diamond League, you don't get anything here [laughs]. You have only positions and points and those are for the final Diamond League held at the end of the year. The winner there gets a trophy, nothing to the second or third place. There is prize money but no medals, so please don't write that."
When asked about his slower run-up and looking bulky:
"Acha main mota lag raha tha? [Oh, so I'm looking fat?] Ho gaya hoga, shaayad mera fat bad gaya because training utna intense nahi tha. [Maybe I have gained fat because I wasn't training as intensely due to the injury]"
Then, he goes on to explain - once again after the initial answers - how he was mindful because of his injury and hence was slower, with technical inputs about javelin throw.
"I wasn't slow because of the weight or because of looking bulky, I was cautious due to my injury. But I just wish to push myself as much as I feel I can Even when we run at full speed, there is a lot of load on our blocking leg, which can be dangerous. My coach Klaus has done research on these numbers, the weight on the blocking leg is ten times that of the body weight. So I was being careful."
When there was similar question asking if he was gaining weight:
"Maybe a few kilos, but probably because I was focused more on injury rehab than intense training. But still, I managed this competition well.... (smiles)"
When the moderator said there was another question along the lines of what he was asked before:
"Woh 90m wala? [The 90m one?]"
Only context needed - the sheer number of times he has been asked when he will breach the 90m mark. His personal best is 89.94!
Icebreaker with @Neeraj_chopra1��
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When asked about Pakistan javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem:
"Woh apna aa hi jaata hain na, India Pakistan wala. [This India Pakistan angle always has to come right?]"
"I don't have anything special in my mind that I am competing with Arshad Nadeem, I just want to give my best. I'll do that at Asian Games too. Arshad was injured so I hope he's fit now and I am sure it'll be a good competition. I would hope for a good competition too because only if we push each other will the performance be good."
Now, let's get serious. There were a few other superb quotes from Neeraj, which showed his depth and his understanding of the Indian sports system.
When he asked about his off-competition schedule:
"Let me tell you honestly, training is a very big part of [what I do] Sometimes when the coach writes down very hard training, I see that and think 'yeh bas hain aaj toh' [this is more than enough]"
"Competition is one part... I would say physically the competition period is actually easy because our training reduces then and we are doing recovery to get ready. But the time before that is 'bahut khatarnak' [very dangerous]. The real challenge is to ensure we complete our training daily."
"For me, from the time I was young, I would feel guilty if I missed a training session over some excuse. This mindset has benefitted me. Maybe if there is a certain plan or I have an injury or a niggle, then there is a genuine reason but earlier, maybe five-six years ago I would think aaj neend achi aa rahi hain, sardi hain, baarish aayi hain,...[it's cold or I am sleeping cozily] these excuses."
"Even when I wasn't at that high a level in international sport, I would think what I did was wrong and I felt bad the whole day. Mujhe us din ki training kar ke hi shaanti milti hain [I am not at peace till I finish the training set for that day], if I leave it for an excuse then I feel restless the whole day. There are days when my body hurts or I am very tired and don't want to go, but I have to push myself because this is my work. I think you all would also go through this, it's normal even for office workers. But it's a job and unless we take it seriously we can't be the best in it. This is my funda."
When asked about being a mentor to younger Indian athletes:
"Actually, I feel motivated when I talk to our junior athletes. Whatever I have learnt so far, I try to share my experiences with, but I also get to learn from them."
"I love talking to other athletes. In Lausanne I was with Sreeshankar [Murali] and I could see the changes in him and his mentality. Earlier he would feel pressure and now he is more confident. At the Diamond League meet, when the performance wasn't great for anyone in long jump because of the weather, his current mindset is so good that he wasn't disappointed and was able to regroup. Now him and other Indian athletes believe they can stand among the world's best."
When asked if he had anything to say to the media:
"I hope you all stay healthy and happy. At the recent national competition, I saw that a lot of media people have started understanding athletics and I was happy."
"For example, Tejaswin Shanker qualified for the decathlon, earlier no one understood a sport like decathlon, the poor athletes would compete for two days, but now they are getting coverage."
"It's very important to share their story with everyone and this is something only you all can do. So please contribute to this, go to the national competitions, hear the stories of athletes because there are so many interesting ones, the backgrounds they come from are sometimes very unusual and against all odds. These stories will help them, for sponsors and for their own motivation."