With an impressive throw of 87.58 meters at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Neeraj Chopra made history by being the first Indian to win a gold medal in the javelin throw at the Olympics.
Neeraj Chopra, who ended the country's 121-year wait for a track and field medal, won India's first Olympic medal in track and field. He joins Abinav Bindra, who won gold at the 2008 Olympics.
Subedar Neeraj Chopra, a 23-year-old soldier from Panipat, Haryana, was born on December 24, 1997, to a farming family in the small town of Khandar. His father Satish Kumar is a farmer while his mother Saroj Devi is a homemaker. He grew up with two sisters.
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Neeraj used to throw javelins to lose weight because he was obese, but he soon fell in love with the sport and the rest is history.
On May 15, 2016, Sub Neeraj enlisted in the 4 Rajputana Rifles as direct entry Naib Subedar. After joining the Indian Army, he was selected to train at the Olympics Pavilion of the expedition and the Army Sports Institute in Pune.
The Olympic Wing of the Indian Army Mission represents an attempt to identify and train outstanding athletes in eleven specific disciplines at five Olympic points of interest. The Mission Olympics Wing strives to help selected athletes excel in various national and international competitions.
The Olympic Wing has presented the nation with two Olympic silver medals in shooting and is committed to giving more. The Sub Neeraj Chopra Medal is in recognition of the hard work and dedication of the Mission Olympics Pavilion.
Neeraj Chopra rose to fame after setting a new junior record with a throw of 86.48 meters at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Poland. He won the 2017 Asian Championship in Bhubaneswar with a throw of 85.23 meters.
Neeraj started his training with the legendary Uwe Hoon of Germany and proceeded to win the gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games with a throw of 86.47 meters as well as a personal best result of 87.43 meters in the Doha stage of the Diamond League. He won the Asian Games with a throw of 88.06 meters.
He also received the Arjuna Award in 2018 and VSM in 2020 for his athletic pursuits.
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