Subedar Neeraj Chopra PVSM VSM, born December 24, 1997, is an Indian track and field athlete who is the current Olympic and World champion in the Men's Javelin Throw. He is the first Asian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in javelin, as well as the first to win gold at the World Championship.
Chopra is India's first track and field athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. He is also India's first track and field athlete to win the global Under-20 Championships, where he set a global U20 record throw of 86.48 m in 2016, making him the first Indian athlete to do so.
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Birth | 24th December 1997 |
| Age | 24 years |
| Height | 5 feet 11 inches |
| Weight | 86 kg |
| Profession | Sportsperson (Javelin Throw) Junior Commissioned Officer at the Rajputana Rifles |
Born into a Haryanvi Ror family in Khandra, Panipat, Haryana, Neeraj Chopra grew up in an agriculturally-focused household with two sisters. He attended BVN Public School and graduated from Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College in Chandigarh. As of 2021, he was enrolled in Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar, Punjab, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree. Following his successful performance at the South Asian Games, the Indian Army immediately appointed Chopra as a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) in the Rajputana Rifles, with the rank of Naib Subedar. Chopra joined under the sports quota.
Image Source: Twitter
Chopra's early training took place at the Panipat Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre, where he trained under the guidance of javelin thrower Akshay Choudhary. Choudhary, impressed by Chopra's natural talent, became his first coach. After securing his first medal, a bronze at the district championships, Chopra convinced his family to allow him to stay in Panipat to focus on his training. He later moved to the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex in Panchkula, where he trained under coach Naseem Ahmad and refined his techniques by studying videos of Czech champion Jan Zelezny.
In 2022, Chopra set new personal and national records at the Paavo Nurmi Games and Stockholm Diamond League. He won a historic silver medal at the World Championships in Oregon and first place at the Lausanne Diamond League, qualifying for the Zürich Final. In 2023, he continued his winning streak, clinching gold at the Doha Diamond League and the 2023 World Athletics Championships, and ranking first in the men's javelin throw by World Athletics.
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | World U18 Championships | Donetsk, Ukraine | 19th (q) | 66.75 m |
| 2015 | Asian Championships | Wuhan, China | 9th | 70.50 m |
| 2016 | South Asian Games | Guwahati, India | 1st place, gold medalist | 82.23 m |
| 2016 | Asian U20 Championships | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | 2nd place, silver medalist | 77.60 m |
| 2016 | World U20 Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 1st place, gold medalist | 86.48 m WU20R |
| 2017 | Asian Championships | Bhubaneswar, India | 1st place, gold medalist | 85.23 m |
| 2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 15th (q) | 82.26 m |
| 2018 | Commonwealth Games | Gold Coast, Australia | 1st place, gold medalist | 86.47 m |
| 2018 | Asian Games | Jakarta, Indonesia | 1st place, gold medalist | 88.06 m NR |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 1st place, gold medalist | 87.58 m |
| 2022 | World Championships | Eugene, OR, United States | 2nd place, silver medalist | 88.13 m |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 1st place, gold medalist | 88.17 m |
| 2023 | Asian Games | Hangzhou, China | 1st place, gold medalist | 88.88 m |
Image Source: Twitter
Neeraj Chopra, who took home a gold medal from the Olympics in Tokyo, is thought to be worth around $4 million, or INR 33.24 crore. His income is derived from prize money, government awards, and endorsement deals.
Leading Brands Supported by: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Visa, JSW Group.
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