‘Cool cat’ Neeraj Chopra doesn’t think about past or future, stays in present: AFI chief Sumariwalla

While he refused to make any predictions about Chopra’s chances in Paris, Sumariwalla admitted that the reigning World champion has come so far because of his consistency.

Leroy D’Sa (from left), Purav Raja, Suma Shirur, Adille Sumariwalla and Viren Rasquinha during a panel discussion at the Bombay Gymkhana on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: Shayan Acharya/ Sportstar

As India’s top medal contender Neeraj Chopra gears up for the Paris Olympics, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adille Sumariwalla believes that ‘living in the present and not dwelling over the past’ makes the javelin thrower a standout performer.

“One side (there) is Neeraj and one (other side) is the rest of them. As far as Neeraj is concerned, he is a cool cat,” Sumariwalla said on Tuesday in an event organised by the Sports Journalists’ Association of Mumbai (SJAM) at the Bombay Gymkhana.          

“He is one of those who takes pressure away. He is not thinking of the past, not of the future. He’s thinking of the moment, that’s one of his strongest points. If you ask him, ‘ dar lagta hai?’ (are you afraid?), he will say ‘ dar toh sabko lagta hai’ (everyone gets afraid). He says, ‘ tension kuch nahi hai’ (there is nothing like tension).” I always chat with these people in the warm up area before they go in to compete. He will say ‘ tension kuch nahi hai, aap tension mat lo, mein kar doonga’ (There is no tension, you do not take any. I will do it),” Sumariwalla added.

With this approach, Chopra has been able to inspire other Indian athletes to bring out their best. “The rest of them have now started to believe that if a Neeraj Chopra can do it -- (the fact that) he stays with us, he eats the same food, he is (of the) same flesh and blood, he sleeps in the same room as we do. If he can do it, we can do it, too,” Sumariwalla said.

While he refused to make any predictions about Chopra’s chances in Paris, Sumariwalla admitted that the reigning World champion has come so far because of his consistency. “He has never been the No. 1 thrower in the world. He has always been, in terms of highest performance, that year’s No. 4 or 5. He has never thrown 90m. But when it comes to crunch, he will throw his 88-89 meters, those guys will throw 87 meters, he will win the gold,” Sumariwalla said in a panel discussion, which was also attended by Viren Rasquinha, Suma Shirur, Purav Raja and Leroy D’Sa.

To celebrate the World Sports Journalists’ Day, the SJAM also conferred lifetime achievement awards upon Dilip Vengsarkar, Milind Rege, Maya Meher, Kishen Narsi, Raghunandan Gokhale, Arun Kedar and Souter Vaz.