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Neeraj Chopra got his name listed in the Olympics history book when he threw his Javelin for 87.58m. He won the only gold medal for India at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 in the Javelin throw event. In the process he also became the second individual after Abhinav Bindra to bag a gold medal at the Olympics.
But do we know enough about him? Let's look at his life till now.
Name: Subedar Neeraj Chopra
Born on: 24 December 1997
Hails from: Khandra Village, Panipat district, Haryana
Profession: Track and field athlete
Also appointed as: Junior Commissioned Officer, Indian Army (Rank: Naib Subedar)
International Achievements
Neeraj Chopra won his first gold medal at the 2016 South Asian Games where he recorded a throw of 82.23m and equalled the Indian national record.
He again shined at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. He won a gold medal after he threw a record throw of 86.48m. However, he failed to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Neeraj did not stop there as his hunger to perform kept on increasing. He bagged another gold medal in Asian Athletic championship 2017 with a throw of 85.23 metres. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Neeraj won the gold medal with a throw of 86.47 meters. In the process, he joined the list of elite athletes to win a gold medal at CWG debut.
At the 2018 Asian Games, Neeraj threw a distance of 88.06m to win gold and bettered his own previous national record.
And now at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, he has won a gold medal with a throw of 87.58 meters.
Awards
Neeraj Chopra was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 2018 for winning gold at the Gold Coast Commonwealth. His name was also recommended for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award (now known as Major Dhyan Chand Award) in the same year.
He was also awarded with Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) at the 2020 Republic Day honours.