Neeraj Chopra takes a dig at Saina Nehwal for her comments on Indian cricketers; humbly accepts the truth
Published - 19 Jul 2024, 06:04 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:15 AM
India's golden boy Neeraj Chopra has claimed that cricket is still the most popular sport in India and he never tried to compare himself with India's legendary cricketers Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni.
Neeraj Chopra won a historic gold medal for India in the Javelin throw in the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. He was given a heroic reception in the country for his unprecedented achievement. He became the third Indian after Norman Pritchard and Abhinav Bindra to win an individual medal in the Olympics.
It was also India's first-ever medal in athletics in the history of the Olympics. Chopra will be in action in the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024 where he is India's biggest medal hope. It remains to be seen how the athlete delivers under the pressure of expectations from the whole country.
Neeraj Chopra speaks on cricket's huge popularity in India
During an interview with Sportstar, Neeraj Chopra was asked about cricket's popularity in India as compared to other sports. Chopra responded smartly by saying that he never compared himself to star Indian cricketers and feels satisfied with his sport.
"If you respect your sport and feel satisfied with it, then nothing else should matter. At the Doha Diamond League, I was asked how popular I was in India. I never tried to compare myself with the likes of Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni because I'm very well aware of the reality of what I am in India," Neeraj Chopra said.
"Yes, obviously, after the Olympics, people recognize me a lot more, but I know there is a stark difference in my popularity compared to that of a cricketer. Cricket is played in every single alley in the country. It's not like people practice javelin throw in the same way," he added.
It is well known that cricket is a hugely popular game in India and its popularity has no limits in the country. Indian cricketers are treated like heroes across the country. The best example was seen recently when more than 1 lakh people gathered around Mumbai's Marine Drive to welcome the champion team when India won the T20 World Cup 2024.
"I don't want any shortcuts to making my sport popular" - Neeraj Chopra
The Javelin ace also spoke about how other sports like the Javelin throw can become popular in India. He replied that India needs to have more javelin-based competitions in the country to make the sport popular. He wants more competitiveness in the sport which will bring more audience into the stadiums.
"I don't want any shortcuts to making my sport popular. I want my sport to become popular with my hard work and effort," Neeraj said.
"If there are more javelin-based competitions in India, like the Diamond League, people will become more interested in watching and following the sport. With talented javelin athletes in India, there should be national-level leagues to compete. This would help to boost the sport in India," the 26-year-old added.
Neeraj Chopra will compete with the likes of world-class javelin throwers like Anderson Peters, Jakub Vadlejch, Arshad Nadeem, and many others in the upcoming Paris Olympics.
