Germany’s Thomas Rohler, a gold medallist from Rio 2016, feels that cricket may have played a defining role in India’s rapidly growing reputation in the sport of javelin throw.
Rohler theorised that, unlike football, which dominates Germany’s sporting landscape, cricket, India’s staple sport, helps develop throwing mechanics which align more closely with javelin techniques.
According to the German athlete, this gives cricket-playing nations like India a naturally richer talent pool for the sport compared to others.
“Cricket has played a huge role in the development of javelin talent,” Rohler told Sportstar. “In Germany, the sporting culture is built around football. Indian sporting culture revolves more around cricket.
“And cricket is far more related to javelin than football is. Some people might say the right leg swing is like a football kick, but honestly, football has nothing to do with javelin. So you’ll almost certainly have a bigger talent pool in cricket-playing countries.”
Rohler, who is set to compete at the inaugural NC Classic on Saturday, also believes that Neeraj Chopra’s Olympic gold at Tokyo was the catalyst and turning point that inspired future generations to take up javelin in the country.
“There was always talent – it just needed a spark. Neeraj was exactly that spark that ignited the flame, and now there’s a huge talent pool in India,” Rohler said. “I think there’s another reason too. Here in Germany, performances in events like the javelin throw aren’t appreciated as much.
“In a country like India, your performance gets rewarded. I think that, along with the growing passion for the sport, the time being invested in it, and the sheer mass of people, means there’s going to be a much bigger talent pool in India,” he added.
Rohler, whose 93.90m throw at the 2017 Doha Diamond League remains the third-best in men’s javelin history, also revealed that visiting India was something he always had in mind and thanked Neeraj for the opportunity, labelling it an ‘honour’.
“Well, to be honest, it was really Neeraj who reached out to me, both directly and also via his management. So I decided to be there because competing in India was on my bucket list. I mean, it’s the fastest-growing javelin community in the world right now, and it’s just logical to have an international meet there,” the German javelin throw ace shared.
“Getting the invite directly from the Indian Olympic champion was an honour. I was happy to hear that he’s super involved. I know from my own experience that conducting a meet is an extra bit of work for an athlete. I’m glad he is putting in the work to help the javelin community, so I’m happy to come and help him as well,” Rohler added.