Explaining Neeraj Chopra's second Olympic medal in cricketing terms
Second place at the highest level in any sport is certainly not a bad place to be, but for overwhelming favorites it is. India's 2024 Paris Olympics journey has been a bittersweet journey so far with the near-misses stealing the spotlight. Amid the heartbreaks, the nation has found some breathing room to cherish the handful of medals that have been secured so far, and rightly so.
Despite the overwhelming population, India have not earned the right to declare that they have an undisputed great when it comes to individual sports. But, that was before Neeraj Chopra. The javelin ace became a household name after his heroics in the previous Olympics, and was India's best bet for a gold medal considering that he is a world champion in the sport.
But following a record-breaking effort from Arshad Nadeem that landed 92.97m, Neeraj Chopra had to settle for the silver medal despite a brilliant 89.45m throw. Interestingly, he had won the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics with a throw of 87.58m.
The 26-year-old Indian Olympian had cruised through the qualification stages, making it to the finals in his first attempt itself. The throw of 89.34m was the second-best of Chopra's career, while Arshad Nadeem had recorded an effort of 86.59 m.
Dominant in the qualifying stages, favorites in the final, falling short in a rather helpless manner. India have seen this script before, unfortunately not too long ago, almost exactly nine months ago.
Chopra's second-place feels like a loss, much like Team India's second-place finish in the 2023 ODI World Cup did
There are several parallels that can be drawn between Neeraj Chopra's silver medal finish and Team India's 2023 ODI World Cup campaign
Team India came into the 2023 ODI World Cup in red hot form, with the 2023 Asia Cup title under their belt. Chopra also had gold medals in the 2023 World Athletics Championship and the 2023 Asian Games ahead of the Olympics.
The Men in Blue were near-invincibles in the group stage, winning nine straight matches to soar into the semi-final. Even in the knockout game, they were dominant and were the outright favorite in the finals, given the fact they were playing on their home turf.
A similar story unfurled in Chopra's case. With Nadeem never having beaten him before, and with recent triumphs under his belt and a brilliant qualification throw, he was well-set for yet another gold. But, on the day of the contest, it just was not meant to be as he finished second.
In both India and Neeraj Chopra's case, their opponents just proved to be better on the given day. But that does not mean their accomplishments must be cast aside, or forced to be forgotten, but it should be celebrated instead.
Millions of Indians stayed up to witness both these bouts, and ended up with a feeling of 'what could have been'. Ending the dreaded trophy drought on home soil would have been a fairy-tale script for Team India, while winning two successive Olympic gold medals would have arguably made Chopra the greatest individual sport athlete in the nation's history. But again, it was just not meant to be.
Team India's heartbreak ended soon after as they won the 2024 T20 World Cup, but Neeraj Chopra will have to wait for four more years. The stars did not align this time around, but if it does in 2028, then Indians might just witness the Indian Cricket Team and Neeraj Chopra flaunting the gold together.