Besides the Olympic Games and the Diamond League series highlighting his calendar, he will be aware that the 90m arc remains to be tackled. The mark is not exactly the holy grail in men’s javelin throw since the world record is an incredible 98.48m set by Jan Zelezny on May 25, 1996. But entry into the exclusive 90m club will be quite an event in itself.

Chopra got to within six centimetres of that mark in Sweden, on June 30, 2022. But the 25-year-old does not need reminding that through 2023 he did not touch the 89m, with the 88.88m in the Hangzhou Asian Games being his best. There have been some whispers that while he has been a fierce competitor, he has not shown the improvement that connoisseurs want to see.

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He will bid to remain injury-free and overcome any doubts about a groin muscle that wove unwanted cobwebs in his mind to the point that his hand sub-consciously reached out to the muscle before and after each throw. He embraced a conservative approach through 2023 but he will want everything to fall in place better in 2024 so that he can just be a bit more fearless.

For an athlete who competes in so few events each year and whose throws have been broadcast live only sporadically, Chopra has wafted effortlessly into the nation’s collective consciousness. It is a phenomenal achievement that has not been easy by any stretch of imagination but one that will take some beating. He may well add another great chapter in the new year.