23-Year-Old Indian Javelin Thrower Neeraj Chopra and His Way to Tokyo Olympics Gold

Neeraj Chopra is one of the youngest athletes to create a miracle in the Indian Olympics by winning the gold medal in the event of track and field. He is the first track and field athlete to secure a gold medal in the Olympics for India and the first Indian athlete to create a world record in 2016 when he secured a world under-20 record throw of 86.48 m. Besides, that he is also a JCO (junior commissioned officer) at the Indian Army.

Note: - Neeraj Chopra mentioned that The National Camp was a turning point in his life because of the better training, which helped him improve his throw.

Neeraj Chopra Wiki: Key points

• Full name: Neeraj Chopra
• Date of Birth: 24th December 1997
• Place of birth: Panipat, Haryana, India
• Nationality: Indian
• Profession: Track and Field athlete, Junior Commissioned Officer
• Coach: Uwe Hohn

Neeraj Chopra Story: Early Life

During his childhood, Neeraj was an 11-year-old overweight who his family was always forced to involve in sports. Eventually, he had to start his training at Shivaji Stadium, located in Panipat, where he saw people throwing the javelin and got inclined towards this sport. However, his determination and passion for the sport made him get into shape, and he eventually shifted to Athletics Nursery at Tau Devi Lal Stadium at the age of 14.

Fun fact: - Neeraj was suggested by the AFI (Athletics Federation of India) for getting honored with India's highest sports award.

Neeraj Chopra Biography: Family and Education

Neeraj Chopra was born to Satish Kumar and Saroj Devi and had two sisters named Sangeeta and Sarita. He was born on 24th December 1997 in Khandra village of Panipat district in Haryana and is an Indian track and field athlete who participated in the javelin throw at the Olympics in Tokyo.

• He pursued his graduation from Dayanand Anglo- Vedic College.
• He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts from a University in Jalandhar, Punjab, named Lovely Professional University.

Neeraj Chopra : Career Timeline

• 2012 National Junior Athletics Championship On 27th October 2012 in the event of National Junior Athletics Championship, which took place in Lucknow, was a turning point in Neeraj's life where he made a national record throw of about 68.40 meters and won a gold medal.
• 2013 In 2013, a year after National Junior Athletics Championship, he sat in for his first international game in the event of the World Youth Championship held in Ukraine.
• 2014 In 2014, Neeraj Chopra secured his first international silver medal in the event of Youth Olympics Qualification in Bangkok. He made his throw of over 70 meters.
• 2015 In 2015, Neeraj made a world record of 81.04 meters in the junior category of the All-India Inter-University Athletics Meet. This was his first-ever throw, where he made a record of over 80 meters.
• 2016
  • On 9th February 2016, at the South Asia Games, Neeraj Chopra secured a gold medal for his throw of over 82.23 meters
  • He also won a gold medal at the IAAF World U20 Championship in Bydgoszcz Poland with a junior world record of 86.48 meters.
  • He was also offered Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) position with the rank of a Naib Subedar in Rajputana Rifles.
• 2017 In 2017, Asian Athletics Championship, Chopra secured gold with a throw of 85.23 meters.
• 2018
  • In 2018, At the Commonwealth Games, Neeraj Chopra was the first Indian to win javelin throw with a throw of about 86.47 meters.
  • In May 2018, he again made a record of 87.43 meters at the Doha Diamond League in the same year.
  • On 27th August, in the Men's Javelin throw at the Asian Games, he secured a gold medal with a throw of 88.06 meters. This was a national record set up by him and the first gold achieved by India in the Asian Games.
• 2019 He had undergone surgery; as a result, he missed the World Championship in 2019.
• 2020 In January, at the Athletics Central North West League Meeting in Potchefstroom, South Africa, Neeraj Chopra made a record with a throw of 87.86 meters at an international competition. This made him qualified for the Tokyo Olympiad.
• 2021 Again, on 5th March 2021, Chopra secured a gold medal with his new national record of 88.07 meters. He was also ranked the third-best international player.

Neeraj Chopra Tokyo Olympics 2020

Neeraj Chopra secured a gold medal on 7th August at the final rounds of the javelin throw with over 87.58 meters in his second attempt. It is said Neeraj Chopra is the first athlete to win a gold medal in the Olympics. He is ranked as the second-best athlete for his performance at the javelin throw. It is a proud moment for all Indians as he is the first athlete to win a gold medal in track and field.

Neeraj Chopra: Awards and Achievements

• In the year 2018, Neeraj Chopra was honored with the Arjuna Award.
• In 2020, Neeraj Chopra was also honored with the VSM (Vishist Seva Medal) for the 2020 Republic Day honor.
• In the year 2012, Neeraj Chopra achieved a gold medal at the National Junior Championships in Lucknow.
• In the year 2013, at the National Youth Championship, Neeraj Chopra secured a silver medal.
• Again, in the year 2016, at the Asian Junior Championship, Chopra achieved a silver medal.
• At the Asian Athletics Championship in the year 2017, Neeraj Chopra achieved a gold medal.
• He also made 3 world records at the IAAF World U20 Championship 2016 in Bydgoszcz, Poland, for javelin throw.
• He was also nominated for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.

Neeraj Chopra: The Golden Boy of India

So, this was the exclusive story of Neeraj Chopra, which is an inspiration for many Indian youths. His commendable performance and his inspirational journey have won many hearts. He is often referred to as "The Golden Boy of India", and the talents like Neeraj Chopra have emerged brightly and proved people to follow their dreams with passion and hard work.