India, Sept. 18 -- It had to end, eventually. The unerring sequence of top-two finishes, the unreal consistency, the unwavering belief that a big throw was always round the corner - for far too long, Neeraj Chopra had spoiled us.

From World medals to Olympic podiums, Diamond League wins to continental success, Chopra had become the irresistible force that Indian athletics had long pined for. And when the end came, it was not pretty. Toppled from his perch, Chopra lay grimacing on the runway as the rain came down on the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo, the very venue where it all began for him a little over four years ago. The irony was painfully unmissable.

"I don't understand what happened today. This has not happened for a long time,"...