PARIS : By hurling the spear so effortlessly past the 90m mark in the Olympic final here, Arshad Nadeem has actually thrown Neeraj Chopra the gauntlet he had been looking for, presenting him with the greatest challenge of his already illustrious career. For a change, as Neeraj chases Nadeem, this, like they said before the credits rolled in that movie, could be "the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Because, late within the bowels of the Stade de France , long after the crowds had departed and the gold dust settled in an empty stadium, the Indian, just dethroned, was telling us how it was great that India still had a medal despite his five fouled attempts in the final.
It was perhaps a first of sorts for the Indian, usually more accustomed to speaking from the top of the pile. What Neeraj said was that there probably now existed a need for a new challenge, after having won everything that was on offer - his World Championship gold in Budapest last year completing a glittering circle. "I have won all the biggest prizes in the world of javelin.
I have been in the 88-89m range for years now. I have full faith in my arm," he said. "The big throw will come," he added enigmatically.
What he didn't say explicitly was that the 90m barrier in competition becomes the albatross now. After his Budapest gold last year, when asked if it affected him that his top podium finishes came without breaching the 90m mark, Neeraj had said: "When the 90m will come, it will come. I am not really .