Neeraj Chopra: India’s star javelin thrower

September 01, 2023

India's star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra created history by winning the gold medal at the World Athletics Championships. Neeraj Chopra became the only athlete from India to win Olympic and World gold medals. Neeraj Chopra's life is like a movie story. Born in a simple family, ridiculed for being fat as a child, but the spirit was such that despite the lack of facilities, it rang globally.

Profile of Neeraj Chopra

Neeraj Chopra was born on 24 December 1997 in Khandra village of Panipat, Haryana. Chopra's family's earning was on the basis of agriculture. Neeraj has two sisters. Neeraj Chopra completed his graduation from Dayanand Anglo Vedic College (DAV College), Chandigarh. He is also pursuing BA course from Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar, Punjab.

Neeraj Chopra was very fat in his childhood. Because of this he was made fun of a lot. His father sent him to a gym in Madlauda and later he moved to Panipat. Jaiveer Chowdhary recognized Neeraj Chopra's javelin throwing talent when he used to visit the Panipat Sports Authority. He is also the first coach of Neeraj.

Career of Neeraj Chopra

Neeraj Chopra started making a mark in the world of Javelin long back. He won the gold medal at the 2016 IAAF World Under-20 Championships. Set a record in U-20 in Poland and became the first Indian athlete to achieve this honour. Even after this, his charm remained intact. Chopra won titles at the 2017 Asian Championships and the 2018 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

After creating history by winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics, Neeraj Chopra achieved yet another big feat. He won the silver medal at the 2022 WAC. It was India's first medal since Anju Bobby George in 2003 at the World Championships.

Neeraj Chopra in Indian Army

The Indian Army was impressed by Neeraj Chopra's performance in the South Asian Games. Chopra was given the job of a Junior Commissioned Officer in the Rajputana Rifles in the Army. Neeraj Chopra was given the post of Naib Subedar, which is not easily available to athletes. Chopra was commissioned into the Army in 2016 as a JCO and was then given leave for training.