NC Classic & the other side of Neeraj

BACK when Neeraj Chopra was very new to the world of advertisements, he didn't know what to do during a sponsor commitment. So Chopra, the apocryphal story goes, gave it his all when a shoot required him to throw a javelin. One of his handlers took him to the side and had a quiet word. "You can take it easy, it's an advertisement," was supposedly the gist of the message.

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN @Bengaluru

This incident happened in the pre-Covid era when Chopra was an athlete full of promise. These days, he can legitimately claim to be one of India's greatest athletes. Already a multiple Olympic and Worlds medallist, he will take another giant step towards sporting immortality from an Indian perspective when the first spear in the event named after him soars over the Sree Kanteerava Stadium's night sky in Bengaluru on Saturday.

A day out from the NC Classic, moved from May after heightened cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan, it wasn't a surprise to see the 27-year-old showing the same zeal he once showed to promote a product. Over the last couple of weeks, the javelin ace has had to switch identities depending on the situations. During training, it would be that of a fierce competitor. When speaking with sponsors — there are over 20 of them for the World Athletics Continental Gold event (a label WA reserves for the big meets) including an 'official skincare partner' — he has had to give guarantees. When dealing with government officials at multiple levels, he has had to marry diplomacy with a charm offensive.