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Noelle Roorda, inspired by Neeraj Chopra and Thomas Röhler, won F46 javelin gold at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi with a personal best of 43.74m.
Neeraj Chopra (L) and Netherlands’ Javelin sensation Noelle Roorda (R) (X)
Neeraj Chopra’s stardom transcends Indian borders, and Dutch para-athlete Noelle Roorda is proof of it.
The 25-year-old javelin thrower, who won gold in the F46 women’s event at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, revealed she once purchased a ticket to watch Chopra compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Roorda, who throws with her left hand as her right arm extends only to the elbow, admitted she is a fan of the Indian Olympic champion.
“Yes, of course. I know him,” Roorda told PTI after her victory. “I went to Paris to the Olympic Games and bought tickets for the javelin night there. But that was the closest I ever saw him.”
Respect for Chopra, but Surprise in Tokyo
Chopra etched his name into history with a gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, followed by silver at the 2024 Paris Games.
But Roorda confessed that she initially expected Germany’s Johannes Vetter to take gold in Tokyo.
“I thought Vetter would win gold. Then Chopra on the podium, definitely, but Vetter was like outrageous good, and he was throwing like crazy that year. But he was too good too early (peaked early). That’s part of the game,” she explained.
Idolizing Rohler, Not Just Chopra
While Chopra has global appeal, Roorda’s role model is another German Olympic champion, Thomas Röhler, who won gold in Rio 2016.
“I think I’m a person who loves a sort of dance around, and I’m a technical, easy thrower. Thomas Röhler is the perfect example of power and spee,d and sort of like he’s dancing around. So I think that made him my role model,” Roorda said.
After the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, she joined a training camp organised by Röhler in Jena, Germany.
“It was a six-hour drive for me, but I went there one or two times later as well, just to train with him, his group, and his coach. He’s very inspiring.”
Gold on Her Mind
Roorda, who previously won silver at the Tokyo Paralympics and bronze at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Japan, produced a personal-best throw of 43.74m in Delhi to claim her first world title.
She says her long-term ambition is crystal clear.
“I worked so hard this year. The whole season was the best of my life and winning here is like the cherry on the cake—10 out of 10. I’m thinking of reaching the world record someday (currently 45.73m). I’m getting closer every year, and of course, the Paralympics gold.”
(with PTI inputs)
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term…Read More
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term… Read More
September 27, 2025, 18:31 IST
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