India won 107 medals at the recent Asian Games held in Hangzhou (China), but the gold that ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra clinched after a dramatic wait on the field — his second consecutive win at the Asian Games — is truly special. Back home and soaking in the glory to the fullest, he tells us how he hopes to catch the ongoing ICC World Cup live.
“Asian Games se aane ke baad PM ji ke sath function tha aur Army Chief ne bhi bulaya tha sabhi khiladiyon ko. Iss sabke beech mein jitna bhi time mil paata hai, I try to follow the World Cup. Main apni team ko support kar raha hoon aur hamesha apni country ke khiladiyon ko support karunga,” Chopra tells us, adding, “If I find time, I’ll try to catch one of the India matches live. Aur final dekhne ka mauka mila toh usse achchi baat kuchh bhi nahin!”
The 25-year-old Olympic gold medallist, who recently entered the hall of fame at the international sporting organisation Laureus, is elated to see how his achievements are driving interest for track and field sports in a cricket-crazy country. “Humari cricket team bahut achchi hai, lekin khushi hai ki dheere dheere dusre sports mein bhi log grow kar rahe hain. Jis tareeke se log raat ko jaag ke mera event dekhte hain, chahe World Championship ho ya Diamond League, aur mere game ko follow karte hain, mujhe bahut achcha lagta hai ki log dusre sports mein itna interest le rahe hain,” he concludes.
