Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra recently stole the show at Lausanne Diamond League 2023 (second time in a row), in Switzerland, by winning it with a best throw of 87.66m. No wonder he's fondly referred to as India's Golden Boy, which is like a ready title when he plans to write his story. 

During a virtual media interaction with Hindustan Times, the 25-year-old javelin thrower says, "I feel abhi mujhe aur khelna hai and there is still a lot more to achieve. Abhi toh World Championship ka gold bacha hua hai!"

Neeraj, now busy with full-fledged training for the World Championship asserts that he has serious plans to write a book on his journey of becoming India's golden boy. He explained, "There are great writers in our country who could possibly write about my journey. But, when the time comes, I would like to share my story in my words. Maybe [by then] I would have learned how to write, just like how I learned how to speak in interviews (smiles).” 

One thing he learned spontaneously was to be the moral support for newcomers, to help them navigate the world of national and international athletics. He admitted he calls up and motivates juniors before their important tournaments. “I see myself as a bhaiyya (older brother) to young athletes. Be it seniors or juniors, I respect them all. But more importantly, I personally get motivated when I meet and talk to youngsters from different fields. They come from backgrounds that we can’t even imagine. Their stories deserve to be told!" 

Citing example, Neeraj added,"For instance, I am especially close to (long jumper) Murali Sreeshankar. After he finished fifth at the Diamond League, he could have easily blamed the weather or felt low. Instead, he is focusing on the future and is bettering his form. That motivates me to look forward and set personal milestones for myself.”

Outside the field, what keeps him entertained is his fondness for movies. “I usually don’t get time but when I do, I like to watch some films on OTT platforms. The last one I watched was Chris Hemsworth’s Extraction 2 and I really enjoyed it,” he concludes.