CWG 2022: With Neeraj Chopra missing, the spotlight is on Rohit Yadav

“Ek din bade competition mein log hume bhi follow karne lagenge (a time may come when people will start following me too in a big competition),” says Rohit Yadav, his face immediately dropping with a shy smile.

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The moment has arrived a lot sooner for Yadav than he would have prophesied.

Yadav and DP Manu will line up under the lights on August 7 with that javelin in tow. Usually, that would be a footnote in the mesmerizing Neeraj Chopra world of lighting up the big stages and the country’s javelin throw challenge in it.

But a groin injury to the Olympic champion while hurling a World Championships silver throw last month in Eugene has changed those dynamics.

“More people in India will be following us now, and will know that there are two more javelin throwers in India,” Yadav says. “Let’s see how that goes.”

Chopra was Yadav’s constant companion during the Worlds in Eugene. In Birmingham, the 21-year-old is still figuring out things on his own—like finding the best route to navigate the Games Village in the University of Birmingham. Not just his “bhaiya”, Yadav has been missing bhaiya’s coach too. Despite Chopra not around, Klaus Bartonietz chose to accompany Yadav and Manu but tested positive for Covid on arrival. He is still quarantining in his room.

Yadav is going about his training here without a specialised javelin coach and a special joyful friend.

“Definitely I’m missing him (Chopra). I speak to him over the phone daily. If he had been here, I would have felt more confident about doing better. Unke rehne se thoda junoon rehta hai (there is some energy while he is around). But Manu and I will try and make sure his absence isn’t felt too much,” Yadav says.

Chopra's presence by his side in the World Championships final was indeed felt by Yadav. Showcasing his promise at that level for the first time, Yadav was focused on going better than his season best throw of 82.54m. A 80.42 in the qualification further elevated his mental level. It settled at a best of 78.72 and a 10th place finish. “Maybe it was the effect of being at that stage for the first time. My body just wasn’t flowing in proper motion there,” Yadav says.

The first person to walk up to him for a quiet word was the silver medallist, who wouldn’t even make the final in his first attempt in Doha four years ago. “He said koi nai, don’t think too much about it; this was your first competition. Learn from what you did here and it will only help you in the future,” Yadav says.

Learn Yadav did at the Worlds, one of the rare international outings in his career so far. The most striking visual for him wasn’t the heightened atmosphere but the hallowed men of javelin throw.

“They are all big players. The range of their throws, how much power they put into it, I could see it right in front of me. Like I saw Peters (world champion Anderson Peters) throw 90-plus three times. I felt the effort they were putting in to make that happen, hum bhi kar sakte hai thode time mein yeh (I could also do it in some time),” Yadav says.

Peters will be the man to beat at the CWG too, where Yadav has redrawn his season best target. After hovering in the 70s all through last year, he has five 80-plus throws this year so far. He is aware it will be well past midnight in India when his final plays out, but wants to give his village of Jaunpur something happy to wake up to.

As for Chopra’s message to his shadow in India’s javelin throw spotlight, it goes thus: “Just go out and give it your all there. Koi baat nahi agar hum nahi hai toh (no problem even if I’m not there),” Yadav says.

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