The goosebumps, the thrill, the ultimate exhilaration on a golden win! This is what India witnessed with the historic win of Neeraj Chopra! The young prodigy ended India’s 121 year old wait for an athletics medal. The star javelin thrower with his 87.58 m javelin throw gave India its seventh medal. With this phenomenal win, he joined Abhinav Bindra in the list of Indian Gold Medalists (Olympics).
Let us go through the journey for the ‘golden boy’ and cherish the pride. It is really an incredible journey to look up to.
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Table of Contents
Personal Details
| Name | Neeraj Chopra |
| Nickname | Nijju |
| Date of Birth | 24 December, 1997 |
| Age ( as of 2020) | 23 years |
| Birthplace | Khandra Village, Haryana |
| Zodiac Sign | Capricorn |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Khandra Village |
| College | DAV, Chandigarh |
| Education Qualification | Graduation |
| Ethnicity | Ror Maratha |
| Food Habit | Turned Non-Vegetarian |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Caste | Punjabi |
Neeraj Chopra Early Life
Neeraj has a beautiful story to share about his progression from Panipat to the Olympics Podium. He was born in Haryana on 24 December, 1997. He has a joint family of 17 members. His father Satish Kumar Chopra is a farmer. Neeraj garnered a lot of affection and attention in his big family. As a child he was obese. When he was 11 years old, his weight was around 80 kg.
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Neeraj Chopra Family Details
| Parents | Father- Satish Kumar ChopraMother- Saroj Chopra |
| Siblings | Sisters: Sangeeta and Sarita |
Neeraj Chopra Career Details
In his early days he was passionate towards sports like Kabaddi, cricket and volleyball. He moved to Panipat Stadium with the purpose of weight loss. This was a turning point.
While running he used to see some of his seniors performing the javelin throws. This caught his attention.
From here he decided to try hands at the javelin throw and the rest is history! From there on Neeraj worked tremendously hard to train himself.
His performance in the International Arena started in 2013, where he finished 19th in the IAAF World Youth Championship. He kept working on his game religiously.
In 2016 Neeraj won the gold at the IAAF World Youth Championship to become the first ever Indian Athlete to do so.
Neeraj Chopra Achievements and Accomplishments
Let us sail through the ocean of accomplishments of Neeraj Chopra.
Gold Medals
- 2016: South Asian Games in Guwahati, India
- 2016: World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland
- 2017:Asian Championships in Bhubaneswar, India
- 2018: CommonWealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia
- 2018: Sotteville Athletics Meet in France
- 2018: Asian Games in Jakarta
- 2018: Savo Games in Finland
- 2021: Tokyo Olympics 2020
Silver Medals
- 2016: Asian Junior Championships in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- 2017: Asian Grand Prix Series, Jinhua in China
- 2017: Asian Grand Prix Series, Jiaxing in China
- 2018: Offenburg Speerwurf Meeting in Offenburg, Germany
Bronze Medals
- 2017: Asian Grand Prix Series, Taiwan
How did Neeraj win the Gold Medal?
Neeraj scripted the history. But how did the gold medallist keep his journey this astounding? Let us go through the highlights from the Olympics 2020.
- In the Men’s final javelin throw, Neeraj covered 87.03 mts in his first throw.
- He defeated Germany’s Johannes Vetter, who finished second with a throw of 85.64 mts.
- Neeraj qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with a throw of 86.65 mts. This attempt was best among all the athletes present. It helped Neeraj to qualify for the finals.
Profession Details
| Profession | Javelin ThrowerJunior Commissioned Officer |
| Height | 180cm |
| Weight | 86 Kg |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Coach(es) | Garry CalvertWerner DanielsUwe HohnRaj kumar |
FAQs
Neeraj joined it in 2017.
It was in Tokyo Olympics
Yes, he is the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra.
He joined the army as a Junior Commissioned Officer.
It is around 1.8 pounds.
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