Subedar Neeraj Chopra created history on August 7 when he won India's first Gold Medal at Tokyo Olympics. 23-year-old Neeraj, the javelin thrower, is the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra to win any individual Gold medal at Olympics. He is the first Indian to win a Gold medal in athletics at Olympics. The Panipat-born Subedar of Indian Army, the son of a farmer, produced the second throw of 87.58m in the finals to stun the athletics world and end India’s 100-year wait for a track and field medal in the Olympics.
Here're some interesting facts about Neeraj Chopra who has made India proud:
Neeraj is one of the finest Javelin throwers India has ever produced. The reigning Asian and Commonwealth Games champion belongs to Chandra Village, a small village located in Haryana’s Panipat district.
Neeraj Chopra was born to Satish Kumar and his wife. He comes from a humble family background residing in Chandra village of Panipat district. His father is a farmer and his mother is a housewife. He has two sisters.
From being a guy who never saw a Javelin to being the pioneer in Indian athletics, Neeraj gravitated many young Indians towards Javelin. The interest of Neeraj in Javelin's throw was sparked by chance when he saw Jaiveer Choudhary practicing Javelin Throw at the Panipat stadium. During his young days, he used to visit Panipat stadium daily to work on his fitness and body.
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His talent was spotted by some of the young coaches when they saw him throwing Javelin in fun at the Panipat stadium. Later he got so passionate about sports that to cut down the journey of 16-17 kilometers from his house to the training ground he shifted to Athletics Nursery at the Taluka Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula.
Neeraj Chopra had joined the Indian Army and felt that the satisfaction of being able to financially support his farmer father will enhance his performance. He has been appointed a Junior Commissioned Officer by the Indian Army.
Neeraj’s career as a Javelin thrower skyrocketed after he made his debut in the domestic circuit at the 2012 National Junior Athletics Competitions and won his first Gold medal with a record throw of 68.46 meters.
This breakthrough helped him get on the national team and made way for him to the International stage.
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In 2016, he made his International debut at South Asian Games in Guwahati and clinched another gold medal.
In 2017, he won 2 Silver medals and a Bronze medal at the Asian Grand Prix Series held in 3 different cities, Jinhua, Jiaxing in China, and Taipei in Taiwan. Later that year, he made his IAAF Diamond League debut and finished 7th with a throw of 83.80 meters.
In 2018, he won the Gold medal at the Sotteville Athletics meet in France, followed by another Gold medal at the Savo Games in Lapinlahti, Finland.
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In March 2021, Neeraj shattered his national record by throwing 88.07m at the Indian Grand Prix Meet in Patiala. With his throw, he broke his own record of 88.06m at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta
Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra kicked off his first-ever Olympics campaign in style. Neeraj, who is seen as India's top bet for another medal, qualified for the men's javelin final in a stunning first attempt of 86.65m at the Tokyo Olympics. This monstrous throw of Chopra took him straight on top of Group A and in the javelin final.
