Neeraj Chopra, known for his explosive Javelin throws, has a long history of success in athletics. This season, however, the Indian athlete has been in full swing, dominating international competitions from Budapest to Hangzhou. He has climbed the podium numerous times, which has led many people to believe that he may be India’s next legendary athlete.
Over the years, Chopra has had a number of record-breaking moments and gold-winning performances that have, time and time again, brought the crowd to their feet and made India proud.
#1: Chopra’s maiden medal
Chopra began to develop an interest in the sport in 2011 and began to train under the guidance of ex-Javelin Thrower Jai Choudhary. During the following years, he continued to refine his throwing technique and eventually made international appearances. In 2014, he achieved his first silver medal at the Youth Olympics qualification in Bangkok.
#2: A year of breakthrough
After two years, Chopra finally clinched his first gold medal at the 2016 South Asian Games with a record of 82.23 meters. Continuing down this path, he subsequently won two more competitions in that year, a silver medal in the Asian U20 Championships and another gold medal in the World U20 Championships, in which he set a world U20 record of 86.48 meters.
#3: Highs and Lows
In 2017, Chopra won another medal at the Asian Championships with a throw distance of 85.23 meters. However, like every athlete, he experienced a temporary setback later that year. At the World Athletics Championships in London, Chopra finished 15th in the qualifying rounds with a dismal distance of 82.26 meters.
After this setback, though, Chopra experienced an abundance of triumphs in the succeeding years.
#4: Chopra’s first historic victories
Chopra finally etched his name into the annals of javelin athletics when he won the gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and became the first Indian athlete to do so. Subsequently, he went on to compete in his Inaugural Asian Games, the Jakarta-Palembang 2018, and snared another gold medal and set a national record of 88.06 meters.
His closest competitors at that time, China’s Liu Qizhen and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, were only able to reach the distances of 82.22 and 80.75 meters, respectively. With a margin of almost 6 meters, his victory at that time was a historic moment for Chopra and India.
#5: Gold at Olympic debut
In 2021, Chopra made his Olympic debut at the Tokyo Olympics, but despite the fact that it was his first time at the most prestigious international games, he did not hesitate to make a statement. With a remarkable performance and a best throw of 87.58 meters, Chopra won his first gold medal of the Games, making him India’s second Olympic gold medalist in track and field history, after shooter Abhinav Bindra.
#6: World Championships and Diamond League
In 2022, Chopra snared silver with an 88.13 meter-record at the World Championships in Oregon, behind Grenadian javelin thrower Anderson Peters, who had a record of 90.54 meters. However, in the World Championships 2023 in Budapest , Chopra finally ascended to the top of the podium with his gold-winning best throw of 88.17 meters. He edged out Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem with 87.82 meters and Czech Republic’s greatest thrower, Jakub Vadlech, with 86.67 meters.
However, at the Diamond League finals, Vadlech superseded the Indian athlete at the event when he recorded a best throw of 84.24 meters. Chopra, on the other hand, settled for second place with a best throw of 83.80 meters.
However, Vadlech stated in one of his interviews that “it is always tough competing with Neeraj,” demonstrating that Chopra is regarded as a formidable opponent even among the best throwers in the world.
#7: Second Asian Gold
When he made his second appearance at the Asian Games, he had a bit of a problem with the officials not recording his mark in the first throw. But that didn’t stop him from going on to throw 88.88 meters in his fourth attempt and win another gold for India in the Javelin event.
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