This 16-year-old javelin thrower dares to dream big and emulate Neeraj Chopra's heroics

One such promising thrower is 16-year-old Arjun. The Delhi-based javelin thrower dares to emulate Chopra's achievements.

"I dream of winning medals for the country in Olympics and World Championships," Arjun says right at the outset in an interview with CNBCTV18. com.

Arjun rose to prominence with his bronze medal-winning performance at the Commonwealth Youth Games held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago,  in July. Last year,  Arjun clinched silver at the Asian U-18 Athletics Championship held in Kuwait.  This year, Arjun is the highest-ranked Indian boy in the under-18 age category.  He has already won a plethora of medals in various national competitions.

Arjun's teenage success seems to be driven by his first memories of sports.

When he was all of four years, his father took him to see the 2010 edition of the Commonwealth Games that were held in Delhi.

"At Commonwealth Games I watched a lot of sports. There was one Indian javelin thrower, Kashinath sir, he won a medal for India,  watching that I was very excited," Arjun recalls.

The man Arjun is talking about is Kashinath Naik. Naik clinched the bronze in the finals of the men's javelin at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

India's javelin scenario has come a long distance since Naik's bronze medal-winning performance in Delhi. Naik was 27 when he finished third at the Commonwealth Games with his best attempt measuring 74.29m.  At the time of writing, Arjun's personal best (with a 700g javelin) stands at 72.92m, which he achieved last year at the Tatya Tope Stadium, Bhopal.  His best attempt at the Commonwealth Youth Games measured 65.94m.

Arjun spotted throwing javelin during one of his competitions

From his father, who was previously a discus thrower, to former world champion Johannes Vetter, Arjun has a range of sporting heroes.

"Vetter's physique and his technique impresses me a lot, and in India we have Neeraj Chopra sir," Arjun says, the sense of awe clearly palpable in his voice.

Arjun accepts that his father has played a pivotal in his success.  Another reason for Arjun's success is his school, the Modern Public School in Shalimar Bagh.

"My school has supported me a lot. It was because of the school's support that I have been able to achieve so much. My school has always given me the right guidelines and identified my talent. It has provided me with all the facilities," Arjun adds humbly.

The support that Arjun mentions has come from the school's principal, Alka Kapur , who supported him with his tuition costs and waived all of his fees.  Beyond the monetary support, Kapur has also been a motivator for Arjun and has readied the boy to excel in all spheres of life. Kapur wants Arjun to excel like Chopra.

Arjun with Alka Kapur, the principal of his school.

Arjun has now reached a stage where focusing on sports while simultaneously continuing with his education is posing a challenge.

"To maintain studies along with sports is a very difficult," Arjun accepts. Here again, the school is assisting the boy by arranging extra classes and conducting special exams.  For all the support that Arjun gets from his school, he hopes that he can pay it back by maintaining a balance between his studies and sports.

Arjun believes that to become a good javelin thrower, education is essential. "Because javelin throw is a very technical sport, education is very important," Arjun quips.

Like any other Gen Z kid, Arjun loves streaming videos on YouTube. "I watch videos of YouTube of Olympic Games to motivate myself. I watch videos of big players. Watching those videos helps me get inspired," Arjun explains.

Neeraj Chopra is surely one of those "big players."

When asked how Chopra's on-field success has influenced the sport and budding athletes like him, Arjun is quick to answer:  "Since his (Chopra's) medal win there has been a revolution in the sport. Young athletes are getting attracted to javelin throw.  We are getting recognition. The standard of javelin throw has reached to a new level."

Arjun recalls his failed attempt to meet Chopra when the latter had just returned to India after winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics. Arjun went to the New Delhi airport to catch a glimpse of the freshly-crowned Olympic champion. But the security around Chopra such that little Arjun could not even spot Chopra. That has been Arjun's first and only attempt till date to see the Olympian in flesh and blood.  For now, Chopra's social media activity is enough for Arjun to keep pushing himself.

With more athletes than ever before throwing the javelin now, the competition is growing stiffer every day. But that doesn't bother the youngster as he considers himself as his biggest competitor.

"I don't have any competition with any other player. I compete with myself. If I get good distance than it doesn't matter who is competing with me," Arjun says, giving the world a sneak peak into his thought process.

Despite all the positivity that Arjun surrounds himself with, he did feel nervous during the Youth Commonwealth Games.

"Before the competition there was a lot of tension, I was not sure what will happen. There were many thoughts running in my head," Arjun remembers.

But once he was assured of a medal all the tension just melted away.

"After winning the medal there was a different feeling inside. I was very happy. I received calls from many people who wanted to congratulate me " Arjun says trying to control his smile.

Arjun flaunts his bronze medal at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

The 16-year-old is now planning to take the next big step of his sporting career as he is prepares to participate in the under-20 age category. From there, he wants to be a contender for the "big" games.

As Arjun stated early in the conversation that he dreams of becoming a world champion in the long run. So what will it feel like if his dream comes true?

"World Championships means that it is a world-level game. If you win the World Championship then you have conquered the world. It means that you have reached the top by defeating everyone. It will be a very proud moment. It would mean that your efforts have been successful. It would be a next-level feeling. It cannot be expressed," Arjun says.

What differentiates Arjun from his peers?

"My hard work is my strength." says Arjun.  The one who works hard is able to perform better, is Arjun's belief.

All the hard work that Arjun and thousands like him put in day in and day out would count for nothing if a support system did not exist. Things are certainly moving in the right direction as far as athletics is concerned. Indian athletes no longer participate in international competitions just to make the numbers. But surely there is scope for a lot of improvement.

What more can be done for young athletes like Arjun?

"Change is coming. The Athletic Federation of India is doing a lot of development work. But I believe to develop athletics, there should be training centres everywhere. Everyone should have easy access to training equipment. Everyone should have easy access to coaching. If there are more centres then more people will be attracted to the sport. Sometimes there is talent but they may not get to practice. If there are training centres, then they will get attracted to the sport and train hard. That is how talent can be nurtured and go on to represent India," Arjun wisely says on the back of the little experience that he has gathered so far.