How humility is rightly acknowledged by the humble! The high praise for Olympic gold medallist and World javelin throw Champion Neeraj Chopra by Indian badminton coach Pullela Gopichand for his simple conduct even after the towering milestones is a perfect tribute to this rare quality of humility in achievers. The quality is unusual among champions, not only in sports but all other disciplines where fame can easily breed contempt. Chopra, with his impeccable conduct on and off the field, has displayed this rare virtue with aplomb, making him a people’s champion, a sentimental favourite even for those who are not into sports. The qualities in Chopra that Gopichand has hailed also define the badminton great who refused to get swayed by the limelight after his heroics in the international arena. Instead, Gopichand chose to become the light for budding players, showing them the path to bigger glories. The upward graph that Indian badminton is scaling in both men and women’s categories is the true reward for Gopichand. He has dedicated his life for the cause of national good in sports without any fuss.

 

Humble to the fault, the national coach is the perfect judge of another champion’s rare quality. The praise must rank high up there for Chopra as he takes further strides in track & field circuit. The love and respect that India has showered on Chopra is reflected in the cool manner in which the country accepted the Olympian’s silver medal in the just-concluded Diamond League. Within a few days of his phenomenal feat of winning the World Athletics Championship gold, Chopra was on the field with not much competition. Yet, he finished second-best as he took it easy while tending to his tired and exhausted body. No one complained. No one criticised. The fans, the supporters, the managers knew the intent behind Chopra’s easy throws. It was a fine maturity shown for a champion who is as human as the fans are. The thought of allowing breathing space and me-time to the champion instead of irrational jingoism dominating emotions is, perhaps, the best outcome for Indian sports. Not far ago, failure was unacceptable for sportspersons representing the country.

 

They used to be subjected to gross humiliation, sometimes even physical assault. Impatience used to cloud the judgement of fans and many great names had to suffer undeserving backlash for even minor failures. However, better sense seems to have descended upon the thinking of the fans. In recent times, there is acceptance of failure as an integral part of life’s journey. These days, even a loss to the Pakistan cricket team is not taken to heart. The conduct of champs like Chopra deserves equal reciprocation from the fans. The times, they seem to be changing.