Neeraj Chopra is a track and field athlete from India who has achieved many firsts in his sport. He is the reigning Olympic champion, silver medalist in the World Championship, and the Diamond League champion in Javelin throw. He is also the first Asian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in Men’s Javelin throw and the first track and field athlete to win a gold medal for India at the Olympics.
Neeraj Chopra at the Diamond League 2023 Final in Eugene, Oregon, was able to achieve second position with great efforts of 83.80m on 16 September 2023.
Chopra has also won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, and set a world under-20 record in the javelin throw. He recently set a new national record in the javelin throw and won a silver medal at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, becoming the second Indian to win a medal at the event.
Biography
| Name | Neeraj Chopra |
| Full name | Neeraj Chopra |
| Nick name | Nijju |
| Profession | Javelin Thrower and Junior Commissioned Officer |
| Date of Birth | December 24, 1997 |
| Place of Birth | Khandra Village, Panipat, Punjab,India |
| Age (as on 2022) | 25 Years |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in |
| Weight | 86 kg |
| Zodiac sign | Capricorn |
| Father | Satish Kumar Chopra |
| Mother | Saroj Devi |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Love affairs | Not known |
| Children | No children |
| Sibling (sister) | Sarita and Sangeeta |
| Education | Graduate |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Coach(es) | Naseem Ahmad Uwe Hohn (personal coach) Raj Kumar (Army coach) Werner Daniels Gary Calvert Klaus Bartonietz |
| Hobbies | Biking, Travelling and Listenimg music |
| Net worth | 3 Million US Doller |
| Social Media Platform | |
| @NeerajChopra | |
| @Neeraj Chopra | |
| @Neeraj_Chopra | |
| not available | |
| Wikipedia | @ Wiki |
Early Age
Neeraj Chopra was born in a Haryanvi Ror family in Khandra Panipat, Haryana. He grew up with two sisters and his family mainly worked in agriculture. Chopra attended BVN Public School for his education and later graduated from Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College in Chandigarh. Currently, he is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar, Punjab.
The Indian Army was highly impressed by Chopra’s exceptional performance at the South Asian Games and his potential for the future. They offered him a direct appointment as a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) in the Rajputana Rifles, with the rank of Naib Subedar. Chopra accepted the offer and joined the army under the sports quota.
Career
Start Of Journey as Domestic athlete
Neeraj was very health in his early childhood due to which children from his neighbbour and class teases him, which disturbs him lot. His father enrolled him in gymnasium at Madlauda, and later he joined Shivaji Shivaji stadium in Panipat, from where his journey of athlete began.
Neeraj Chopra’s interest in javelin throwing started when he saw some throwers while playing at Shivaji stadium in Panipat. He was soon recognized by javelin thrower Jaiveer Choudhary for his natural talent, and Chopra began training under him. He won his first medal, a bronze, at the district championships and convinced his family to let him live in Panipat to further develop his skills.
At the age of 13, Chopra was admitted to the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex in Panchkula, where he trained under Coach Naseem Ahmad and learned long-distance running along with javelin throwing. Despite the lack of a specialized javelin coach, Chopra and fellow thrower Parminder Singh downloaded videos of Czech champion Jan Zelezny and attempted to copy his style. Chopra soon set a new national record with a throw of 68.40 meters at the National Junior Athletics Championships in Lucknow.
International athlete
Neeraj Chopra is an Indian javelin thrower who started his international career in the World Youth Championship in Ukraine. He won his first medal, a silver, at the International Youth Olympic in Bangkok. After training under various coaches, he won gold in the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships, setting a world junior record of 86.48 meters.
He won several other competitions, including the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2018 Asian Games. He missed the 2019 World Championships due to an injury but qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic.
In the Olympics, he won a gold medal, becoming the first Indian Olympic gold medalist in athletics. He also broke his own national record several times, most recently with a throw of 89.94m in the Stockholm Diamond League. In 2022, he won a historic silver medal at the World Athletics Championships and the Diamond League final, becoming the first Indian to do so.
Achievements & Awards
- Arjuna Award– 2018
- Vishisht Seva Medal(VSM) – 2020 Republic Day honours
- Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award– 2021 (highest sporting honour of India)
- Param Vishisht Seva Medal(PVSM) – 2022 Republic Day honours
- Padma Shri(fourth highest civilian honour) – 2022 Republic Day honours
- Army Sports Institute (ASI) stadium of Punecantonment renamed “Neeraj Chopra Stadium” by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 27 August 2021
- Switzerland Tourism appointed Neeraj Chopra as its Friendship Ambassador.
Personal life
Neeraj chopra is at present unmarried and not much is known about his personal life. He is not open to media related his personal life. He loves pets and have dog as pet
Interesting facts about Neeraj
Neeraj was carrying a weight of 90 kilos at 12 years of age.
Neeraj used to enjoy spending time on the Volleyball court during his childhood
Former German javelin thrower Uwe Hohn is currently coaching Neeraj Chopra. Hohn is the only athlete to throw a javelin 100 metres or more.
After winning Tokyo Olympic gold, he took his parents for their first flight in September 2021.
Neeraj got congratulatory messages from Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, and Bollywood star Katrina Kaif after his world record throw at the U-20 World Championship.
Net worth
The 25-year-old Neeraj is currently in the fold of JSW Sports. He is also named a
brand ambassador by sports drinks giant Gatorade in a partnership that runs up to
- Neeraj Chopra’s brand value increased over 1000% after the victory in Tokyo
Olympics. Neeraj’s Olympic triumph made him India’s most valuable sports person
surpassing legendary Virat Kohli . His current net worth is over $4 Million in 2023.
Currently, he is endorsing companies like GoodDot, Mobil India, TATA AIA Life
Insurance, CRED, P&G, Amstrad AC, CRED, and more.
In conclusion, Neeraj Chopra is a talented athlete who has the potential to make it big in athletics, with his dedication, hard work and impressive performance on the field.
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Read more : Nikhat Zareen
FAQ
Q1. What is the highest throw of Neeraj Chopra?
Ans His highest throw is of 89.94m in in the Stockholm Diamond League
Q2. Which medal Neeraj Chopra won in Diamond League?
Ans 10-man men’s javelin field at the Doha Diamond League on Friday.
Q3. Who funds Neeraj Chopra training?
Ans Neeraj training is majorly funded by his coach Klaus Bartonietz and his Physiotherapist’s Airfare
Q4 Who is known as a golden boy?
Ans. Neeraj chopra has received the title of golden boy