Not many have gone past
Usain Bolt in the 21st century, but India’s Neeraj Chopra has managed to do that.
World Athletics has confirmed that the men’s javelin gold medallist from the Tokyo Olympics was the most written about track and field athlete in the year 2022, eclipsing the Jamaican sprint legend Bolt, who had topped that list for years.
Bolt retired in 2017 but continues to hold the world record for men’s 100m and 200m sprints.
Quoting numbers from media analysis company Unicepta, World Athletics said that 812 articles were written on Chopra, ahead of the Jamaicans Elaine Thompson-Herah (751 articles), women’s 100m world champion Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce (698) and women’s 200m world champion Shericka Jackson (679).
For Bolt, the number of articles written on him stood at 574.
“It is an interesting one. For the first time this year Usain Bolt has not led the list of the most written about athletes of the year,” said World Athletics’ president, Sebastian Coe, talking to news agencies.
“For me it is a fabulous example of resilience and fortitude and simple determination to stay at the top of their game and they (athletes) have done that.
“It is primarily through their efforts that athletics has really started to grow again in popularity and gained more broadcast hours,” Coe added.
(With AFP Inputs)