Why friend Tejaswin Shankar ‘hates’ sharing room with ‘golden boy’ Neeraj Chopra

The Tokyo Olympics is the grandest stage for any athlete and can be intimidating but not for Neeraj Chopra, who said he did not take any pressure and was going about his job just like he does at any other international event.

A history-scripting Olympic gold medal in his pocket, star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra had rewritten athletics history for India at the Tokyo Olympics. High-jumper Tejaswin Shankar is one of Chopra’s closest friend and sometimes roommate during major events like 2018 Commonwealth Games. Chopra, who clinched the country’s maiden athletics medal to become only the second Indian to win an individual gold in the Olympics, went for a record while trying for the Games record (90.57m) on Saturday (August 7) but could not accomplish it. The Olympics is the grandest stage for any athlete and can be intimidating but not for Chopra, who said he did not take any pressure and was going about his job just like he does at any other international event. “He is very different from us. Imagine he has won India’s first-ever athletics medal but he’s telling me that he’s feeling bad for (Johannes) Vetter. He’s one of those persons who can never say no to you if you’re his friend,” Shankar wrote in a column for Indian Express newspaper.