Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal in the men’s javelin event at the Asian Games 2023 with a throw of 88.88m, but the victory was marred by controversy. In his first attempt, the reigning world champion made a massive throw that appeared to exceed the 85m-mark. However, due to a technical glitch, the organizers were unable to measure it, and Neeraj had to take the throw again. In an interview following his win, Neeraj expressed his confusion about the incident and speculated on the cause of the confusion.
“I was puzzled and confused; this has never happened in any competition I have participated in before. I believe they lost track of my landing mark and were searching for it,” Neeraj said.
“I didn’t have any other option; there was no point in arguing for too long. It was also affecting the other competitors’ performance. They were waiting, and I had to show respect to them as well. The wind was blowing, and everyone was feeling cold. So, I decided to take the throw later,” he added.
“The rules state that only six throws are allowed, but this was the first time I got seven throws in a competition,” Neeraj explained.
This controversy involving Indian athletes was not unique to Neeraj Chopra’s situation. Jyothi Yarraji was initially disqualified during the 110m hurdles final but later had her bronze medal upgraded to silver when it was discovered that a Chinese athlete was at fault.
“I felt bad that my first throw in such a big competition went like that. It happened with Jyothi, and it happened with me as well. Even Jena faced a similar situation during a throw. So, there were issues, but ultimately, our results were good. Despite the challenges, we proved that we came prepared,” Neeraj stated.
“Our team should investigate why we are facing so many issues. I have never seen these kinds of incidents in major competitions. It could have mentally affected me or another athlete after the first throw. Anything could happen. Jyothi also fought,” he concluded.
(With PTI inputs)