Meet Neeraj Chopra: Farmer's Son Who Became India's 1st Olympic Gold Medalist In Track & Field
India is renowned for its brilliant cricketers, hockey players, badminton players and shooters ¨C but its track and field athletes have rarely made a huge mark on the sport internationally.?
India's lone world record holder athlete javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, however, is changing all that. The Panipat-born javelin thrower is a sensation.
Neeraj Chopra India's finest javelin thrower, the reigning Asian and Commonwealth Games champion grew up in Khandra village in Haryana¡¯s Panipat district and hadn¡¯t even seen a javelin, let alone dream about being the pioneer in Indian athletics. Now Neeraj Chopra is the main reason several Indian youngsters have gravitated towards the javelin.
Neeraj Chopra wins Gold medal at Tokyo Olympic
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics India has had many athletes on whom the country had pinned their hopes for an Olympic medal, but few have succeeded in pulling it off at the grandest stage. For a country that refuses to give up on hope, it is Neeraj Chopra this time who is carrying the dreams of 1.3 billion people on his shoulders.
Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra kicked off his first-ever Olympics campaign in style. Neeraj Chopra scripted history by winning the gold in Men's javelin throw event in the ongoing Tokyo Olympics. This is India's first gold in this year's Olympics and also the first-ever gold in track and field event. With this medal, India now has won 7 medals in total including one gold, two silver and four bronze.
A pre-tournament medal contender, the 23-year-old Chopra fuelled country's expectations by topping the qualification round with a stunning first round throw of 86.59m.
Neeraj Chopra a young sensation
India's lone world record holder athlete javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra burst onto the scene in 2016 and became famous overnight. At the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships in Poland, 18-year-old Neeraj changed the course of his life while inspiring scores of youngsters in India to pick up the 800-gram spear. Chopra hurled the spear to 86.48m to set a new junior world record and won the gold medal. Despite being a junior athlete, that stunning throw in Poland put Neeraj Chopra at No.11 in the senior rankings.
From being an overweight guy to becoming a javelin champion
Poking beehives, stealing mangoes and fighting with friends¡that was boyhood in the hinterland for Neeraj Chopra, the athlete whose javelin struck gold at the just-concluded Commonwealth Games.
As a child, his weakness was food. It came with too many calories and too much love. Dollops of fresh cream and choorma, a fat-friendly mix of roti, ghee and sugar, fed by a doting grandmother meant Neeraj stepped into his teens chubby and flabby. As a kid, he was grossly overweight, weighing 90 kg at the age of 12. Those days are long behind the 22-year-old, a true Olympic medal prospect. When Neeraj¡¯s medal in Poland reached India, he gets a lot of overnight popularity.
Neeraj Chopra personal best
The Panipat-born javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, where he set a then-new Indian national record of 88.06m, and was the flag bearer at the opening ceremony. Neeraj Chopra has since broken his own record, throwing 88.07m at the Indian Grand Prix in 2021.
Neeraj also won gold at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, was the 2016 IAAF World U20 champion and set the world junior record, of 86.48m.?
Neeraj Chopra serves as a commissioned officer in the Indian Army
Neeraj Chopra had joined the Indian Army and feels 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 Chopra trains with Uwe Hohn, one of the world¡¯s most renowned coaches, and will be aiming to break the European deadlock of the sport. Germany's Uwe Hohn is the only javelin thrower in the history of the sport to throw the javelin over 100m meters.
The hope of billions of people in the Olympics came true
India's hope for the second individual Olympic gold medal has been fulfilled since Abhinav Bindra bagged the gold in shooting at the Beijing Olympics 2008. After winning a gold medal in the Javelin throw event at the Tokyo Olympics, the 13 years wait comes to an end with a gold medal hanging from Neeraj's neck, it is independent India's first-ever gold in athletics. For sure, blessings of 1.3 billion people and his hard work made every Indian proud at a big stage. with him.
