India, Aug. 1 -- There's a certain peculiarity in listening to Neeraj Chopra speak as a silver medallist at a major multi-sport event. He did so for a second straight time at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, after the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Indians, athletes as well as fans, celebrate medals of any colour in once-in-four-years Games, but it's different when it comes to the country's modern-day gold standard athlete.

In Paris, where the defending Olympic champion took silver, Chopra's tone for most part of his media interaction carried more frustration of his body not being fit enough to dig out that one mammoth throw than jubilation of being a rare Indian sportsperson to call himself a multiple Olympic medallist.

On Friday night in Glasgow a...