Neeraj’s silver as good as gold, he has managed his success well: Olympic champion Valarie

Two-time Olympic gold medallist discus thrower from the United States, Valarie Allman, said on Thursday that ace Indian javelin exponent Neeraj Chopra’s silver medal in Paris was as good as gold, given the pressure of expectations he would have faced after attaining celebrity status following his Tokyo Games success.

Valarie, who is here as the International event ambassador of the Delhi Half Marathon to be held on Sunday, added that it becomes hard to manage success for an athlete after he attains stardom, and here is where the Indian ace had shown the stuff he is made of.

“It’s an incredibly difficult task (to manage success). And I think sometimes it’s harder to manage success than it is failure. And when you become an Olympic champion, it changes the chemistry of your mind and how you carry yourself,” said the champion athlete, who won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and recreated the magic three years later in Paris.

“You start to hold yourself to a higher standard and it’s easy to lose that magic of what got you there. You feel the pressure of needing to win. You feel the excitement of your country. There’s new endorsement opportunities and, I think, if you’re giving your best, you put yourself in that realm of being able to win.” However, she said that despite the best efforts, anything can go wrong on the day of the competition given that mere centimetres separate the medal winners from the also-rans.

“There’s so many factors that have to come together on the day when centimetres can separate a performance. And, what Neeraj did to win the Olympics and win World Championships, he’s created an amazing string of global championships. For him to earn silver, the level of performance he’s at is worthy of a gold medal.

“I think it’s having that ambition, that drive that he captures so clearly is what gives you that opportunity to be able to win gold,” she added.

The 29-year-old athlete, who is yet to strike gold in the World Championship, said that World Athletics’ initiative to give handsome prize money to Olympic medallists — criticised by some global sports federations — was a good gesture.

“I think the initiative by World Athletics is extremely impactful. I think, the Olympics has the ability to elevate people’s careers exponentially, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to also be financial,” Valarie said.

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“Especially in the United States, there’s not really any funding for becoming an Olympic champion. So, to have a global sports organisation that recognises the value of winning feels really good. I hope they continue to have that trickle down to multiple places.

“I think only celebrating the winner is a positive step, but not nearly enough to be able to continue to grow the sport for four years at a time,” opined the four-time Diamond League winner.

Manu Bhaker, following her double bronze-medal success at the Paris Olympics, made an appearance on the ramp during at a fashion show for which she was trolled on social media. But Valarie felt there was nothing wrong in it.

“I think it’s up to the champion to decide how they want to handle it. And there’s no denying it (Olympic medals) is an accolade worth celebrating. And to be proud and confident I think is something that you earn,” she said.

“To me, two medals is something that definitely… It’s a tough one, isn’t it? You’ve got to be proud of your achievement. And I’ve been waving them around in the air all the time if I had a couple of gold medals,” said Valarie, showing her two Olympic medals.

“These medals are beautiful, and they absolutely signify a dream that was hard to achieve. But I keep them in my sock drawer. It’s not something that I do find myself looking to or cherishing, but it’s really the journey, the people, the roller coaster, the fight that you have to pour in day in and day out is really what I’ve come to value.

“It’s that internal challenge that you always have to face to be able to be vulnerable. When you go onto that global stage, it’s scary. And you have to find it deep within yourself to know that you’re prepared and ready and willing to go for it,” she concluded.