"Not like cricketers like Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni" - Neeraj Chopra on his popularity in India

Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra acknowledged his popularity among Indian sports fans ahead of the first leg of the Diamond League in Doha.

Neeraj has changed the prism of the Indian sporting landscape ever since he bagged an elusive gold medal in the men's javelin throw at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

There is no doubt that cricket is a beloved sport in India and its spectators worship the players. Some of the household names such as MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma enjoy a massive following around the country.

While acknowledging the support of cricketers in India, Neeraj talked about his fame at home because of the glory attained in Tokyo. He said in a press conference:

"It's not like cricketers, like Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni but lot of people know me. I go to India sometimes, people know me, which is good for athletics. People know about athletics and follow athletics because of the Olympic gold."

Neeraj Chopra responds to 90m question once again

Neeraj Chopra will kick off his preparations to defend the Olympic gold in Paris with the Diamond League on Friday, May 10. However, the 26-year-old is always asked about breaching the unprecedented 90m by an Indian javelin thrower. Reacting to the familiar query, he said:

"About 90m, last year, I said I will throw 90 and threw 88. This year, I don't want to say, I want to show. People have been asking me this question since 2018, when I threw 88.06 at the Asian Games. But, a lot of things happened, my elbow injury, the surgery and now I have been stuck between 88 and 90m."

Neeraj Chopra was very close to touching the 90m mark when he threw 89.94 at the Stockholm Diamond League 2022 in Sweden, though he finished second behind Grenada's Anderson Peters (90.31m). A total of 24 athletes have thrown past 90m to date.