There is an old saying in sport: the hardest thing is not reaching the top, but staying there. Few Indian athletes understand that better than Neeraj Chopra. On Friday night in Glasgow, Chopra produced a best throw of 85.83m to win a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games. It was another podium finish at a major international championship, another medal for India, and another reminder that, even after nearly a decade at the highest level, he remains among the world's elite.Yet, almost immediately, the conversation shifted elsewhere. Why wasn't it gold?It is a question that says less about Neeraj Chopra's performance than it does about the extraordinary expectations he now carries every time he steps onto a runway.It’s almost as if we’ve stopped watching Neeraj compete against other athletes. We’re watching him compete against an idealised version of Neeraj Chopra that we’ve constructed over the last decade.Paradox of greatnessSilver has somehow become an underachievement. That is the paradox of greatness. The better an athlete becomes, the narrower the definition of success grows.His excellence has become so routine that people notice the tiny deviations from it more than the excellence itself. An Olympic champion is no longer expected to compete; he is expected to win. If he does win, the margin matters. If he throws 85 metres, people ask why it wasn't 90.No other Indian athlete lives under quite the same microscope. The contrast was evident in the very same competition.Yashvir Singh's bronze medal was deservedly celebrated. His final-round throw of 85.41m, a personal best and his first international medal, was one of the stories of the evening. It should have been.At the same time, Neeraj's silver prompted discussions about missed opportunities rather than appreciation for another podium finish.That difference in perception is entirely of Neeraj's own making.His Olympic gold in Tokyo changed…
This report has been adapted by the PurePlay Sports Desk from coverage by Khel Now, The Hindu Sportstar, NDTV Sports, The Bridge, Google News — India Sports.