THE GOLD RUSH

Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra’s dizzying success at Tokyo is only the first stop in his sporting journey. For Spice, the champion athlete retraces his steps through tough times to the present, where he lists shopping indulgences and shares his travel bucket list.

- SUHANI SINGH

They say, “Life is a journey that must be travelled no matter how bad the roads and accomodations.” Neeraj Chopra’s journey to the top of the Olympic podium may have involved many a bumpy road and diverse accommodations, but it has always been an inspired one. It all began at the age of 13, when as a pudgy boy he’d take the bus from Khandra, a village in Haryana, to the Sports Authority of India facility in Panipat, located about 15 km away. “I’d return from school and immediately change into my exercise gear and head to the bus stand,” he says. Chopra recalls waiting for long spells for the bus since it was an hourly service. The return would be more complicated. With frequency reduced at night, he’d either hitch a ride on a bike or with a tractor driver. The arduous lifestyle—that also included a 1.5 km walk from the bus stand to the SAI centre, reaching home sometimes as late as midnight—didn’t vex him. “I am glad I never questioned why I needed to put myself through all of this? I just happily went about this daily routine,” he explains.

FAVOURITE ATHLETICS STADIUM

Hercules stadium in Monaco has been a favourite, but now Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium has overtaken, given that my life’s dream was fulfilled there.

He learned a lot in the process too. Patience is necessary, as is self-belief. “You should love the work that you are doing and do it with all your heart,” says Chopra, who moved to Panipat later to focus on sports. “It automatically becomes easier to do.”

FAVOURITE CUISINE