Who is Neeraj Chopra?

Neeraj Chopra biography, Neeraj Chopra is an Indian track and field athlete. He is the reigning Olympic champion, World Championship silver medalist, and Diamond League champion in the javelin throw. He is India's most decorated athlete and the first Asian to win an Olympic gold medal in the Men's Javelin Throw.

Neeraj Chopra Education

The Neeraj Chopra biography is interesting one. He is the only track and field athlete from India to win an Olympic gold medal. In addition, he is the first Indian track and field athlete to win in the IAAF Global U20 Championships. In 2016, he set a world under-20 record with a throw of 86.48, making history as the first Indian athlete to do so.

He was born on 24th December 1997 in a family of villagers, near Panipat in Haryana.He did his schooling from BVN Public School and his graduation from Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College in Chandigarh. In 2021, he got accepted to Lovely Professional University in Punjab to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Neeraj Chopra Family

His mother Saroj Devi works as a homemaker, while his father Satish Kumar is a farmer. The Indian army offered him a straight appointment as a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) in the Rajputana Rifles with the famous "Naib Subedar" rank as a result of his outstanding performance in the South Asian Game. In accordance with the sports quota, he accepted the offer and enlisted.

Neeraj Chopra Early Career

In 2012, Neeraj chopra made a record by throwing 68.40 metres at Lucknow’s Junior Championship. In the days to come, he continued to progress when he threw 70 metres in a national match. In the junior category he threw a record breaking throw in 81.04 metres. 

All these performances have led to being invited to train at the institute at the NIS Patiala. He won a silver medal in a competition at the youth olympics qualification in Bangkok in 2014. He won a gold medal by throwing a record breaking 87.3 metres at the South Asian Games. 

He won the first-ever international silver medal in the youth olympics qualification in 2014 in Bangkok, then in 2015, with a throw of 77.33 metres, he earned his first medal at a senior national championship in Chennai.

He set a junior world record of 86.48 metres and won a gold medal at the IAAF world U20 championships held in 2016 in Bydgoszcz, Poland But he failed to qualify for the rio olympics due to a cut off date clash. 

With a throw of 85.23 metres, Chopra captured the gold medal in the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships.

In 2018, he threw a personal best of 87.43 metres at the Diamond League in Doha and went on to win the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games with a season-best effort of 86.47 metres.

Neeraj Chopra Awards and Achievements  

Neeraj Chopra won India's first Olympic gold medal in track and field on August 7, 2021. In his second attempt, he produced his best throw of 87.58 metres, helping India win the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. After Abhinav Bindra, who won the gold medal in the men's 10 m air rifle event at the 2008 Summer Olympics, he is now the second Indian to win a gold medal in a single event. On September 8, 2022, Neeraj Chopra won the 2022 Diamond League final in Zürich, with a throw of 88.44m. He became the first Indian to achieve this feat.

Neeraj Chopra has won many accolades and awards. In 2018, Neeraj Chopra was awarded with the Arjuna Award and Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) in 2020 for his excellence in sports. Army Sports Institute (ASI) stadium of Pune cantonment was renamed "Neeraj Chopra Stadium'' by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 27 August 2021.Shri Ram Nath Kovind, Honourable President of India also presented the ‘Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award’,in 2021 to Neeraj Chopra.

Neeraj Chopra's Impressive Gold Medal Wins in Athletics

• 2016 World U20 Championship in Poland Neeraj chopra won his first gold medal in 2016, in an World U20 championship in Bydgoszcz poland. He secured the top spot on the podium and set an impressive record by 86.48 metres throw.
• 2018 Athletics Meets in France and Finland Neeraj Chopra demonstrated his consistent performance in international competitions when he won two gold medals at the Sotteville Athletics meet in France And Savo Games in Finland. He achieved a throw of 85.17 metres at Sotteville and 85.17 metres at the Savo games.
• 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia In 2018 Neeraj chopra won a gold medal in a commonwealth games held in australia held in 2018.He claimed the top spot on the podium by throwing an impressive 86.47 metre throw. 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta In the 2018 Asian games Neeraj chopra won his fourth consecutive gold medal by throwing a remarkable distance of 88.06 metres. The throw is still a national record for javelin throw.
• 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo In the 2021 summer Olympics held in Tokyo Neeraj won a gold medal by throwing 87.58 metres. He set a new record that further showcases incredible skills.