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Neeraj Chopra was concerned about attendance at Bengaluru’s Kanteerava Stadium, but 15,000 fans showed up, ensuring the NC Classic’s success.
Neeraj Chopra is congratulated by supporters after winning the NC Classic 2025 (Picture credit: AFP)
Double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra has admitted that he was worried about the turnout at Bengaluru’s Kanteerava Stadium for the inaugural edition of the NC Classic. Still, the city turned out in huge numbers to watch not just their national pride but also cheered on every participant.
There was massive fanfare at the stadium on July 5, with almost 15000 people gathering to watch the inaugural edition of the mega tournament.
The NC Classic was a world-level javelin throw event, featuring two Olympic medallists besides Neeraj, and he was overwhelmed by the response the event received.
“Feeling very good, it was tough. I was wondering if it will be successful, will people come to watch? But people came, almost 15,000 plus crowd was there. People enjoyed and loved the event,” Neeraj said while speaking at the launch of the Under Armour store at the Ambience Mall in Gurgaon.
“The experience was different, and I was a little worried because the competition was after my name. I was working on all the small details, from food to lodging, taking good care of foreign athletes,” Neeraj added.
The Paris Olympics silver medallist said that his coach, Jan Zelezny, was elated that he could bring a world-class javelin tournament to India.
“He was happy and thanked me that I brought a javelin event to India. He is very close to javelin, he has given his entire life to it, and still working on it as a coach,” Neeraj said.
It was the first time that the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist took part in a competition in front of his family, something he would cherish for a long time.
“My family came to Bengaluru and they felt really good, first time my family members saw me competing live. My mother started crying when I fell on my first throw,” Neeraj said.
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