“Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No macha, it’s just Neeraj’s javelin soaring through the night sky!”

As Bengaluru prepared to host India’s first-ever javelin-only competition, the Neeraj Chopra classic 2025, even the most devoted Neeraj Chopra fans might have harboured doubts. Would the city turn up for a niche athletics event on a drizzly Saturday?

Turn up it did, and how.

By evening, 14,500 fans had poured into the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. Schoolchildren and their parents, sports enthusiasts, even young professionals who had chosen javelin over a pint in Indiranagar, all gathered for one reason: Neeraj Chopra.

And for many in the crowd, it felt more personal than patriotic.

Speaking to this reporter, a young fan hit the nail on its head when she tried to reason why Neeraj is so loved by people of all ages. “It’s his humility”, she said, “Something that makes him stand out from the crowd.”

A hero both fierce and gentle

For a country that has an emotional relationship with sport, the average Indian fan’s loyalty has always oscillated between athletes who do it the ‘nice’ way and those who go hard.

A Rahul Dravid shrugging off some pretty hardcore Aussie sledging is as much a core memory for an entire generation as a Virat Kohli giving an earful to an England batter after he had dared to condescend to his leading fast bowler.

But in Neeraj, Indian sports fans have found the perfect balance of humility and quiet confidence. A young guy who came from a distant village in Haryana to take over the world of athletics is a fairytale in itself. But what makes Neeraj special is his doggedness on the field, combined with the friendliest disposition off it.

Bengaluru got a glimpse of both on Saturday evening, when Neeraj, who’d had his hands full all week as one of the co-organisers of the event, made it a 25th consecutive Top 2 finish, only behind his coach and probably the greatest javelin thrower of all time, Jan Zelezny.

There was an interesting moment just after that 86.18m throw that sealed the title. As soon as the javelin landed on the lush green turf, Neeraj turned around, lifted his arms sideways as he always does, and let out a sigh, no, shriek of relief and jubilation.

Immediately after, he turned towards the part of the stadium that housed the most vocal fans and waved at them. It was as if the collective roar behind him reaffirmed his belief that there is a future for the Classic, and maybe more such athletics events, in India.

He went on to say so in as many words during the press conference after, where he also acknowledged the pressure of being the face of a milestone event like this, and regaled the assembled media with details of how he took a personal interest in the food and accommodation provided to all the athletes. Then, as any good organiser would, he asked Kenya’s Julius Yego about the areas where his team can improve going forward. At that moment, you would be forgiven for wondering if this was the same guy who had just clinched yet another title and had spent at least ten minutes after that signing autographs for all and sundry.

It remains to be seen if the Neeraj Chopra Classic can pave the way for more world-class athletics events to take place in the country.

But for those in attendance on that breezy July evening, the experience was unforgettable. Not just because an Indian won, but because Neeraj led the way.

On the runway, behind the scenes, and in the hearts of a nation, this was his show from start to finish.