At an early age, Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has already made history with gold medals at the Olympics, World Athletics Championships, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Championships, and Diamond League title.
The javelin thrower from India became the nation’s first and only track and field medallist to earn an Olympic gold in Tokyo 2020. He became India’s first-ever world champion in any athletics discipline two years later when he finished first on the podium at the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest.
Neeraj Chopra Details
Details | Information |
Full Name | Neeraj Chopra |
Date of Birth | December 24, 1997 |
Place of Birth | Khandra, Panipat, Haryana |
Nationality | Indian |
Sport | Javelin Throw |
Height | 1.87 meters (6 ft 1 in) |
Weight | 86 kilograms (190 lb) |
Coach | Uwe Hohn (Germany) |
Training Center | National Institute of Sports, Patiala, Punjab |
Olympic Medals | Gold (2020 Tokyo Olympics) |
Personal Best | 89.94 meters (294 ft 10 in) |
Major Achievements | Gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games Gold medal at the 2016 South Asian Games Gold medal at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships Silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games |
Awards | Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna AwardArjuna Award Vishisht Seva Medal Padma Shri |
Here are some of Neeraj Chopra’s achievements and medals
- Olympic gold medalist (2021)
- World champion (2022)
- Asian Games champion (2018)
- Commonwealth Games champion (2018)
- World Youth Championships silver medalist (2013)
- Youth Olympics gold medalist (2014)
- World U20 Championships gold medalist (2016)
Awards won by Neeraj Chopra:
• Neeraj Chopra was honoured with Arjuna Award for Athletics in 2018.
• He was again honoured with Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021.
• In 2022, Neeraj was honoured with the Padma Shri Award.
Neeraj Chopra Birthday
This year marks Neeraj Chopra’s 24th birthday. December 24th is his birthday, which he observes annually. India’s gold medallist at the Olympics in Tokyo, who brought honor to her nation, has received well wishes from both domestic and international sources.
A billion Indian hearts were won over as Neeraj Chopra took home the gold medal from the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He is the first athlete to win a gold medal at the Olympics, the pinnacle of world championship competitions.
Neeraj also thanked everyone who sent him well wishes on Twitter. Look this this
Neeraj Chopra: Age, Height, Family & Education
- Neeraj Chopra was born on 24th December 1997 in Khandra Village of Panipat, Haryana.
- His family is basically an agriculture-based earner.
- He has two sisters and graduated from Dayanand Anglo Vedic College in Chandigarh.
- He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts from Lovely Professional University, LPU in Jalandhar, Punjab.
- His height is 178 m which makes him 5 feet 11 inches tall with a weight of 86 kilograms.
- He contests in the category of track and field and is ranked 4 in the world.
- He has had his training under Coach Uwe Hohn.
Neeraj Chopra: Athletic career
- Neeraj’s father enrolled him in a gym in Madlauda and then Panipat after he was taunted about being overweight as a child.
- When the javelin thrower Jaiveer Choudhary used to visit the Panipat Sports Authority, he was able to recognize his talent. He was also Neeraj’s first coach.
- Following that, Naseem Ahmad trained Neeraj at the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex in Panchkula. He discovered how to run long and throw a javelin beneath him. Although he was able to throw 55 meters, he set a record of 68.40 meters during the Lucknow junior championship in 2012.
- He threw a record-breaking 81.04 meters in the junior category and 70 meters in the senior national tournament.
- After that, he got a call from NIS Patiala, so he traveled there to start his future training.
- Silver was Neeraj’s first medal from the 2014 Youth Olympics Qualification in Bangkok.
- At the South Asian Games, Chopra threw a record 87.3 metres to win gold.
- 2016 was another successful year for him, however a conflicting cutoff date prevented him from earning a spot in the Rio Olympics. In the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, he won a gold medal and set a world junior record in the javelin throw with a distance of 86.48 meters.
Neeraj Chopra: Posting in the Indian Army
The Indian Army was impressed by Neeraj Chopra’s performance at the South Asian Games and offered him a position as a Junior Commissioned Officer in the Rajputana Rifles. He was assigned the status of Naib Subedar, which is difficult for athletes to obtain.
In 2016, he received official induction as a JCO and was granted time off for training.
Neeraj Chopra Golden Boy
There are tales in sports history that go beyond victories and achievements. One such story that embodies tenacity and the quest for excellence is the life of Neeraj Chopra. Neeraj Chopra, dubbed “India’s Golden Boy” following his historic gold medal victory at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, achieved the feat in the men’s javelin final in Budapest, Hungary, winning with an incredible throw of 88.17 meters on his second try.
This article examines the amazing path of teenage athlete Neeraj Chopra, who came from modest origins to become an inspiration to many.
Neeraj Chopra at the 2023 Asian Games
In the Asian Games 2023, Neeraj Chopra won gold in the javelin throw. Finishing with a best of 88.88 meters is Neeraj Chopra. On his last try, he receives a no throw, and he currently holds the gold medal position.
Asian Games 2023 Javelin Throw
With a javelin throw of 88.88 meters on October 4, the world’s best javelin thrower, Neeraj Chopra, captured the gold medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, creating yet another record. Neeraj Chopra finished school for his degree in sports. He can keep everything. 2018 saw the announcement of the Asian and Commonwealth titles.With a javelin throw of 88.88 meters on October 4, the world’s best javelin thrower, Neeraj Chopra, captured the gold medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, creating yet another record. Neeraj Chopra finished school for his degree in sports. He can keep everything. 2018 saw the announcement of the Asian and Commonwealth titles.
Neeraj Chopra Gold Medal
The talented javelin thrower from India, Neeraj Chopra, won a gold medal in the Budapest, Hungary, World Athletics Championships in 2023. He accomplished this amazing achievement on August 27th with a powerful throw of 88.17 meters.
Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan won the silver medal in the tournament with his season-best throw of 87.82 meters. With a throw of 86.67 meters, Croatia’s Jakub Vadlejch, the world’s top javelin thrower, claimed the bronze medal.
Neeraj Chopra Diamond League 2023
The javelin throwing Olympic champion, Neeraj Chopra, competed in the Diamond League finals in Eugene, Oregon, USA. With a throw of 83.80 meters, he placed second in the Diamond League tournament. Jakub Vadlejch emerged victorious in the Diamond League finals with a best throw of 84.24 meters.
- It’s worth noting that Neeraj Chopra had also secured a second-place finish at the same venue during the World Championships last year.
- During this Diamond League competition, the weather conditions were a bit challenging, with temperatures at 25 degrees Celsius and humidity at 45 per cent. None of the competitors were able to achieve a throw beyond 85 meters
Neeraj Chopra encountered a few challenges while competing. With two foul attempts, his throws were not considered, and his day’s best throw was 83.80 meters. He made a string of throws that included fouls at 83.80, 81.37, 80.74, and 80.90 meters.
National Awards
- Arjuna Award – 2018
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award – 2021
- Padma Shri – Republic Day honours (2022)
- Param Vishisht Seva Medal – Republic Day honours (2022)
- Vishisht Seva Medal –Republic Day honours (2020)
- On 27th August 2021, the Pune cantonment’s Army Sports Institute stadium was renamed ‘Neeraj Chopra Stadium’ by Rajnath Singh (Defence Minister).
Net Worth Income and Brand Endorsements
Neeraj Chopra’s monthly earnings as of 2022 are reported by Asianet News to be approximately ₹5.5 lakh. It continues by stating that he makes roughly ₹5.5 crores a year.
According to a research consultancy firm called YouGov SPORT, during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Neeraj Chopra received over 2.9 million mentions from over 1.4 million Instagram followers. He thus rose to the title of “most mentioned” athlete during the games on a global scale. His global exposure on social media surpassed 412 million following his gold medal win.
As a result of his enormous fan base growth, he started getting offers to endorse other goods. According to News18, his brand worth increased by 1,000% after the 2020 Olympics. He signed agreements with a number of new companies (including Cred, Byju’s, and Tata AIA), while the companies he was already sponsoring (like Nike and ExxonMobil) doubled his endorsement pay. The annual pre-gold winning endorsement price was between ₹20 and ₹30 lakh, or roughly ₹2.5 crores.
Javelin Throw World Records
Neeraj Chopra Records
Event | Edition | Distance |
Olympic Games | Tokyo 2020 | 87.58 m |
Asian Games | Jakarta 2018 | 88.06 m |
Diamond League | Stockholm 2022 | 89.94 |
Commonwealth Games | Glad Coast 2018 | 86.47 m |
World Championships | Oregon 2022 | 88.39 m |
Asian Championships | Bhubaneswar 2017 | 85.23 m |
World U20 Championships | Bydgoszcz 2016 | 86.48 m |
Asian Junior Championships | Ho Chi-Minh 2017 | 77.6 m |
South Asian Games | Guwahati 2016 | 82.23 |
Neeraj Chopra Education
- He did his schooling from BVN Public School.
- He graduated from Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College in Chandigarh.
- Currently, he is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts from Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar, Punjab.
Neeraj Chopra Coaches
Actually, there are a bunch of coaches that Neeraj Chopra Trained under. He has been coached by many different people over the years some of his best Coaches are:
- Klaus Bartonietz (since 2019)
- Uwe Hohn (2018-2021) (First and only javelin thrower to breach the 100m mark (104.80m) throw at the 1984 Olympics.)
- Werner Daniels
- Kashinath Naik
- Gary Calvert
- Naseem Ahmad
- Jaiveer Singh (Childhood coach)
Achievements of Neeraj Chopra
- Neeraj became an under-16 national champion after taking home the Junior Nationals Lucknow by achieving the record-breaking feat of 68.40 meters in the throw.
- The year 2013 saw Neeraj Chopra participate in the first-ever international contest at the World Youth Championships in Ukraine. He took home his first medal at the international level in 2014, with a silver in the Youth Olympics Qualification in Bangkok. He threw his first of more than 70 meters at the senior nationals of 2014.
- In the year 2015, Chopra broke the previous world record for junior class with a throw of 81.04 meters in the All-India Inter-University Athletics meet and was the first time thrown greater than 80 meters.
- Neeraj Chopra won an award of gold at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland and set an international junior record of 86.48 meters, becoming the first Indian athlete to set the world record while in addition to setting a new record for the national championships.
- Indian Army got impressed by his numerous national and international competitions, and they decided to create him as an Junior Commission Officer in 2017 and then he was given directly appointed Junior Commissioner Officers within Rjputana Rifles at the ranking of “Naib Subedar”.
- With a throw record of 86.47 meters, Neeraj won gold at the 2018 Common Wealth Games. He recorded a personal best of 87.43 meters in the Diamond League in Doha the same year.
- A surgically repaired elbow injury was a major factor that prevented Chopra from competing in the 2019 world championship and sidelined him for over 16 months. Neeraj qualified for Tokyo 2020 at the meet that took place in Potchefstroom, South Africa, starting in January 2020, when he returned.
- Neeraj became the first track and field Olympic gold medallist from India in 2020 when he recorded the best throw of 87.58 meters on his second attempt to win the gold medal for his country. Neeraj’s throw in the ACNE league of 87.86 meters was good enough to earn him a spot in the Tokyo Olympics. On his fourth try, he broke the Olympic standard of 85 meters. At the global championships, he managed to hold the top rank.
- Neeraj guaranteed himself the historic silver medal in July 2022 by throwing 88.13 meters in the men’s javelin final of the Oregon World Championships.
- Chopra won the top player slot in the Doha Diamond League on May 20, 2023, with a throw of 88.67 meters. Neeraj achieved his first-ever first-place finish in the World Athletics men’s javelin throw rankings that same month.
- In August 2023, he won the gold medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships with a throw of 88.17 meters.
- In October 2023, Neeraj Chopra defended his Asian Games gold medal with a best throw of 88.88m in the final.
Neeraj Chopra Awards
For his outstanding achievements in the javelin throwing sport, Neeraj Chopra has received recognition and honors. Below are some noteworthy honors he has won thus far:
- National Youth Award (2018): Neeraj Chopra received the National Youth Award in 2018 for his accomplishments in the world of sports and also for inspiring the young of India.
- FICCI Breakthrough Sports Person of the Year (2018): Neeraj Chopra was honoured as FICCI Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) as the Breakthrough Sports Person of the Year for 2018.
- Arjuna Award (2018): The Indian government presented Neeraj Chopra with the Arjuna Award in 2018 in recognition of his exceptional achievements in athletics, particularly his gold medal win at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award (2021): Neeraj Chopra received India’s most prestigious athletic award, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, in 2021 in recognition of his remarkable gold medal victory at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Padma Shri (2022): In acknowledgment of his extraordinary accomplishments in sports, Neeraj Chopra received the Padma Shri in 2022, one of the most prestigious civilian honors in India.
The Diamond League
Chopra set a new national team record and finished second in the event at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland in June 2022 with a personal best of 89.30 meters. In the Stockholm Diamond League, Chopra finished second with a throw of 89.94 meters, shattering his own national record.
With a throw of 89.09 meters on August 26, 2022, he won the Lausanne Diamond League and advanced to the Zurich Final.
Chopra won the top player slot in the Doha Diamond League on May 20, 2023, with a throw of 88.67 meters.
With a best throw of 83.80 meters, Neeraj Chopra placed second in the Eugene Diamond League final on September 16, 2023.
Neeraj Chopra’s Medals And Awards
Year | Event | Medal | Distance (m) |
2016 | World U20 Championship, Poland | Gold | 86.48 |
2018 | Sotteville Athletics Meet, France | Gold | 85.17 |
2018 | Savo Games, Finland | Gold | 85.6 |
2018 | Commonwealth Games, Australia | Gold | 86.47 |
2018 | Asian Games, Jakarta | Gold | 88.06 |
2021 | Summer Olympics, Tokyo | Gold | 87.58 |
Latest Updates on Neeraj Chopra
Coffee with BS: ‘Golden boy’ Neeraj Chopra on India’s sporting success
Neeraj Chopra adds, “Whenever I’m flying, I always look out the window as we take off and count the sports facilities in the city.” “I can count the number of them in Europe or America before we reach the sky. The children who have access to them then comes to mind. That’s important to keep in mind.
At the Shivaji Stadium in Panipat, Haryana, Chopra started training in javelin at the age of 13, mostly to lose weight. The stadium featured all the amenities needed, including coaches who could identify and develop talent, even if it was a few kilometers distant. He had becoming more inclined.
Make track and field events more attractive and marketable: Neeraj Chopra
Neeraj Chopra, the Olympic javelin thrower, emphasized on Wednesday the importance of increasing the appeal and marketability of track and field sporting events for Indian spectators.
The gold medallist from the Tokyo Olympics, who made history by being the first Indian to stand on the podium in track and field events at the national sporting event, discussed the issues facing the sport of athletics in his nation.
“First and foremost, I believe that Indian television should carry international championships in which we participate, such the World Athletics Championships, Diamond League, and Continental Tours.
“Currently, we only get to watch the highlights though people want to watch the athletics, they stay up till 1-2 am in the night, and wait for the athlete to play but they face disappointment after not being able to watch,” remarked Chopra.
He was speaking to a group at the Leaders Meet India event hosted by the RCB Innovation Lab.
According to Chopra, more people will be able to watch and comprehend athletic events on TV, raising awareness of the competitions in which the Indians participate.
The goal of the RCB Innovation Lab project is to “create a platform where influential dialogues and the exchange of innovative ideas become center stage” by bringing together professionals from the international sports community.
The athlete from Haryana has had a remarkable year so far, winning gold medals at both the World Athletics Championship and the Asian Games.
Chopra also discussed how much the Indian sporting scene has grown in recent years, emphasizing the importance of holding international tournaments in India that have the potential to revolutionize the sport of athletics.
“India has the capacity to frequently organize world-class international athletics tournaments, just as countries like Kenya and Grenada have done.
Abhinav Bindra and Neeraj Chopra among speakers for RCB’s sports conference
On November 29 and 30, in Bengaluru, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and its innovation division, RCBC Innovation Lab, will host the inaugural Leaders Meet in India.
The innovative RCB Innovation Lab strives to provide methods, ideas, products, and insights to help influence the future of sports. It is a unique meeting place for business and sports. According to an RCB press release, “Leaders Meet: India aligns seamlessly with RCB Innovation Lab’s mission to further grow the sports ecosystem.”
Jay Shah: Honorary Secretary, BCCI; President, Asian Cricket Council (ACC); Chair F & CA Committee, ICC
Topic: How the BCCI built the IPL, launched the WPL and what it tells us about the future of cricket and the trajectory of Indian sport
-Amitabh Kant: G20 Sherpa – India & Ex-CEO of Niti Aayog, Government of India
Topic: The Indian growth story, the socio-economic opportunities, and the role for sport
-Alessandro Del Piero: Italian International Football icon & World Cup Winner 2006
Excerpts of one of the most picture-perfect careers, multiple Series A league titles, World Cup winner, Champions League winner. Reflections on an iconic career and the current changing landscape of football and with emerging markets what is the future trend of football, will Europe still be the premier club football destination in the near future.
-Dr R. Vineel Krishna, IAS: Special Secretary to Odisha CM & Secretary – Sports and Youth Services, Odisha Government
Topic: How states can drive sports promotion and development – the Odisha model and the future of public-private partnerships
-Brendon McCullum: Head Coach, England Test Cricket Team
Topic: Leading transformative change in team environments – what’s gone into ‘Bazball’?
-Neeraj Chopra: Indian Olympic Gold Medallist and World Champion – Javelin throw
Topic: The journey, reflections and path ahead to create more world champions in India.
-Abhinav Bindra: Indian Olympic Gold Medallist and 5-time Olympian, Shooting
Topic: The future of the Olympic movement and Olympism in India
Rs 5 lakh to Rs 5 crore: JSW Sports eyes golden deals for athletes
Currently evaluating a range of deals, starting from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 5 crore, depending on the individual athlete’s stature and the extent of the sponsorship deal, is JSW Sports, the celebrity sports management agency of JSW Group.
These agreements cover a broad range of activities, including influencer marketing, content collaborations, product support, brand endorsements, and appearances.
Olympic gold champion Neeraj Chopra was also signed by the firm, and it has already negotiated three or four significant sponsorship deals for him.
Other athletes that are managed by JSW Sports are Avinash Sable (3,000m steeplechase), Parul Chaudhary, and others.
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