India has tremendous potential to be a sporting nation and Olympic Games and World javelin champion Neeraj Chopra is playing a big role in helping his country reach there, feels former Great Britain and Wales hurdler Colin Jackson.

Cricket is widely followed in India while other sports tend to grab fewer eyeballs. However, after Chopra’s string of stirring performances August 2021 onwards, a whole lot of youngsters are dreaming of emulating the javelin maestro.

Jackson, 56, is in town as an international event ambassador for Tata Steel Kolkata 25K, partnered by The Telegraph. The event is slated for Sunday.

“Cricket is a hugely popular sport in India. And why do you have great cricketers now? Because India produced a platoon of great players in the past. These youngsters look up and try to achieve and break the records created by the players of the past. That has been going on for decades.

“Once you start having champions like Chopra in athletics, who is an Olympic and World champion, youngsters see him and start thinking: ‘Well I look like him, I speak like him so why can’t I throw a javelin like him?’ And that is what you want to achieve. Yes. India has the capabilities, yes India has now a champion to look up to. It now needs people like myself to come and encourage the youngsters to believe that they can become world champions,” Jackson told The Telegraph at The Oberoi Grand on Thursday afternoon.

Jackson, an Olympic Games silver medallist in the 110 metre hurdles in Seoul, a twice world champion who was undefeated in 44 consecutive races (from 1993 to 1995), heaped praise on Chopra and said while doing commentary for BBC he could see the greatness of the India superstar.

“Oh yes, that’s clear. There is a real sense of focus and commitment to what he is doing. His attention to detail impresses. Sometimes he may fall on the floor after the throw and people would say that’s an untidy throw. But the javelin is already gone. He has already released it. So what you have to look at is the precision. What he has done is he got the javelin in the right position. Do not worry about what he does on the floor moments after.

“The important thing is how he releases the javelin. Chopra has a clear perspective of what he is doing. Watch him on the line as he approaches the run-up, look at his feet, look how accurately he always hits the check marks without even looking down at the floor. When you see an athlete so consistent and with the talent, you know this is pure quality. And that’s exciting. And then what you wait for is the magical moment, when you go out and have the feeling ‘okay, today is the day he is going to hit one,’” Jackson said.

Chopra’s first moment of glory came on August 7, 2021, when he won the Olympic Games gold in Tokyo. And since then there has been no looking back for the 25-year-old. With the Paris Olympic Games just a few months away, the spotlight will be on Chopra again.

“There will be a lot of media pressure on him, no doubt. There will be a lot of pressure from his supporters too. However, nowadays there are several examples of those who have defended their titles. Chopra can draw inspiration from them.

“So I think now he should just say, ‘well, I’ll just take this championship as it needs to be taken’. I think that would be his smartest move without worrying much about the pressure.

“He’s got his expectations. Deliver what he’s capable of and I am confident he’ll be fine,” he said.