Neeraj Chopra is an Army discovery. He was spotted and given direct recruitment after he was spotted by the ASI’s Subedar Kashinath, a national coach, javelin specialist and medal winner himself
An army operation of a different sort was launched in 2015. The objective of their mission in the intervening years has been to seek, track and nurture hidden stars to create a new generation of world-class sportspersons in India.
The efforts of the Army Sports Institute (ASI) and Mission Olympic Wing (MOW), two premier organisations of the Indian Army, have not been in vain.
They’ve finally struck a gold mine with Neeraj Chopra – the conquering victor, who won the only gold medal in India’s tally of 7 medals at the just concluded Tokyo Games. But there’s more to the story than just that.
Out of the total contingent representing India at the Tokyo Olympics, 16 persons, including Neeraj Chopra, are products of the Army Sports Institute. Indeed, like many of his peers, Chopra is an army discovery and a subsequent protégé.
He was spotted by Subedar Kashinath, a serving army man, a national coach, javelin specialist and medal-winner himself.
According to army sources, Kashinath had informed his superiors at the ASI and MOW that he had spotted a young lad at an athletic meet, who was throwing the javelin beyond 80m.
It was on his recommendation that Chopra was given a direct entry in the army on May 15, 2016. The rest as they say is history.
Over the years, the Army had been quietly playing a major role in nurturing and shaping the future of Indian sports on national and international platforms.
Interestingly, India first participated as a separate entity in the Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium in 1920, exactly 100 years ago. Of the 6 participants, four were in athletics and 2 in wrestling
Army sources said 15-20 per cent of medal winners in the last three Asian Games and Commonwealth Games are from the ASI, which is rated as one of the best training establishments in the country.
The army has a special quota for direct recruitment and training of talented, young sportspersons, including women, into the army.
Under this scheme, the ASI has been training fresh recruits in 11 sports disciplines at five centres in the country. At these centres, trainees go through a rigorous schedule of training to meet the exacting standards of excellence required for competitions, both within the country as well as outside, the army spokesman said.
It is the brainchild of a former Chief of the Indian Army, Gen. S. Padmanabhan.
As of now, the army has identified 7 young women sportspersons who show great potential and promise of becoming top-class boxers.
After recruitment, all such potential stars are provided with the best possible support and training facilities. They are given every opportunity to excel in the sports discipline of their choice, said the spokesman.
For Neeraj Chopra, the best possible support was provided in the shape of performance monitoring and world-class equipment, said the ASI spokesperson.
He added that other stakeholders in this national initiative are the Sports Authority and other federations.
With it has ended the country’s century-long wait for Olympic gold in Athletics. And a hope that the country will not lag behind in track and field events in coming years.
Interestingly, India first participated as a separate entity in the Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1920, exactly 100 years ago. Of the 6 participants, four were in athletics and 2 in wrestling.