Neeraj Chopra Biography: India is renowned for its brilliant cricketers, hockey players, badminton players, and shooters but its track and field athletes have rarely made a huge mark on the sport internationally. Neeraj Chopra, however, is changing all that. The Panipat-born javelin thrower is a sensation.
Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with a throw of 87.58m in his second attempt on 07th August 2021. In this article, we will get to know about Neeraj Chopra biography, career, height, girlfriend, family, records, medals and much more.
Table of Contents
Neeraj Chopra Biography
| Full Name | Neeraj Chopra |
| Age | 23 |
| Gender | Male |
| Mother’s Name | Saroj Devi |
| Father’s Name | Satish Kumar |
| Sports Category | Athletics (Track and field) |
| Event | Javelin throw |
| Date of Birth | 24 December 1997 |
| Relationship Status | Single |
| Hometown | Panipat, Haryana |
| Olympic Medals | 1 Gold Medal |
| Best Throw record | 88.1 Meters |
| Job | Subedar in India Army |
| Educational Qualification | Graduation |
| Training Base | SAI NSNIS Patiala |
| Current Training Base | Uppsala, Sweden |
| Neeraj Chopra Instagram Id | @neeraj____chopra |
Neeraj Chopra Wiki
Neeraj Chopra is an Indian javelin thrower who is the first track and field athlete to win an Olympic gold medal for India. He was born on 24 December 1997 in Panipat, Haryana. Now he is 23 years old and he has won a lot of gold in Olympics.
His Height is 178 cm or 6 ft. and his weight is 86 kg. He falls under the category of track and field and is ranked at 4. His coach’s name is Uwe Hohn.
He has another identity as subedar and enrolled in 4 Rajputana Rifles. Neeraj Chopra joined the Indian Army in 2016. Neeraj Chopra was promoted to the rank of Subedar and received accolades for his contribution to sports.
“Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.”
In 2018 @Neeraj_chopra1 pierced through every Indian record on the field. 2019 will be the year of imagination, hard work & taming challenges, to chase the Olympic glory #Tokyo2020 #IAmTeamIndia🇮🇳
📸@rahuldpawar pic.twitter.com/WbfijQ5gqe— Team India (@WeAreTeamIndia) April 3, 2019
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Neeraj Chopra Family
Neeraj’s father Satish Kumar is a farmer in a tiny village of Khandra in Panipat, Haryana. His mother, Saroj Devi, is a housewife. Neeraj Chopra has a total of five siblings.
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Neeraj Chopra Career
Neeraj developed an interest in Javelin at the tender age of 11 after keeping an eye on Jaiveer (Jai Choudhary) who used to practice at the Panipat Stadium. Jaiveer is a javelin athlete who represented Haryana.
When he grew up watching athletes playing javelin throw Neeraj decided to take the game to the next level. In 2014, Neeraj bought his first Javelin worth Rs 7000. Later at the international level, he purchased a javelin worth Rs 1 lakh in the national camp he attended.
Neeraj Chopra Coach
Neeraj started his sporting career training under coach Naseem Ahmed at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula from 2011-15.
Neeraj Chopra receives coaching under the German legend Uwe Hohn. He is a retired German track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw. He is the only athlete to throw a javelin 100 meters or more, with his world record of 104.80 meters.
A new javelin design was implemented in 1986 and the records had to be restarted, thus Hohn’s mark became an ‘eternal world record’. One can hope that the young talent goes one better than the guru himself.
Details of Coaches:
- Grassroot Level: Mr. Jai Chaudhary
- Development Level: Late Mr. Garry Calvert and Mr. Uwe Hohn
- Elite Level: Dr. Klaus Bartoneitz
Neeraj Chopra Physique
Neeraj Chopra is completely healthy physically and mentally. His total weight is 86 kg and his height is 178 c.m or 6 ft. He is very good in track and field games and has also won many medals.
Neeraj Chopra takes great care of his health and he is physically fit. Due to his physique, he has performed very well as an athlete. At the age of 23, he plays very well as compared to the rest of the common people.
| Height | in centimeters- 180 cm in meters- 1.80 m in feet & inches- 5’ 11” |
| Weight | in kilograms- 86 kg in pounds- 189 lbs |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Black |
Neeraj Chopra Gold Medal Video
Neeraj Chopra Medal & Awards
He has been awarded a large number of medals. He got the gold medal in the National Junior Championship in 2021. Silver Medal in National Youth Championship 2013. Won Silver Medal in Asian Junior Championship 2017 and Gold Medal in Assign Athletics Championship 2017.
Achievements
- Gold Medal, Asian Games 2018
- Gold Medal, Commonwealth Games 2018
- Gold Medal, Asian Athletics Championships 2017
- Gold Medal, World U-20 Athletics Championships 2016
- Gold Medal, South Asian Games 2016
- Silver Medal, Asian Junior Championships 2016
- Current National Record Holder (88.07m 2021)
- Current World Junior Record Holder (86.48m 2016)
Awards
- The young prodigy is already felicitated with the Arjuna Award (2018).
- He was also nominated for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
Neeraj Chopra Records
| Year | Competition | Rank | Mark |
| 2013 | World Youth Championships Donetsk, Ukraine | 19th | 66.75 m |
| 2015 | Asian Championships Wuhan, China | 9th | 70.50 m |
| 2016 | 2016 South Asian Games Guwahati, India | 1st place, gold medalist(s) | 82.23 m |
| Asian Junior Championships Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | 2nd place, silver medalist(s) | 77.60 m | |
| World U20 Championships, Bydgoszcz, Poland | 1st place, gold medalist(s) WJR | 86.48 m | |
| 2017 | Asian Grand Prix Series, Jinhua, China | 2nd place, silver medalist(s) | 82.11 m |
| Asian Grand Prix Series, Jiaxing, China | 2nd place, silver medalist(s) | 83.32 m | |
| Asian Grand Prix Series, Taipei, Taiwan | 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) | 79.90 m | |
| Asian Championships Bhubaneswar, India | 1st place, gold medalist(s) | 85.23 m | |
| IAAF Diamond League, Paris, France | 7th | 84.67 m | |
| IAAF Diamond League, Fontvieille, Monaco | 78.92 m | ||
| IAAF Diamond League, Zurich, Switzerland | 83.80 m | ||
| World Championships London, United Kingdom | 15th | 82.26 m | |
| 2018 | Offenburg Speerwurf Meeting, Offenburg, Germany | 2nd place, silver medalist | 82.80 m |
| Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast, Australia | 1st place, gold medalist | 86.47 m | |
| IAAF Diamond League, Doha, Qatar | 4th | 87.43 m | |
| IAAF Diamond League, Eugene, Oregon, USA | 80.81 m | ||
| IAAF Diamond League, Rabat, Morocco | 83.32 m | ||
| IAAF Diamond League, Zurich, Switzerland | 85.73 m | ||
| Sotteville Athletics Meet, Sotteville-lès-Rouen, France | 1st place, gold medalist | 85.17 m | |
| Savo Games Lapinlahti, Finland | 1st place, gold medalist | 85.69 m | |
| Asian Games, Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia | 1st place, gold medalist | 88.06 m | |
| 2020 | Kourtane Games Finland | Olympics quota | 86.79 |
| 2021 | Olympic Games,Tokyo, Japan | 1st place, gold medalist | 87.58 m |
Neeraj Chopra Net Worth
The 23-year-old Neeraj is currently in the fold of JSW Sports. He is also named as brand ambassador by sports drinks giant Gatorade in a partnership that runs up to 2021. Neeraj Chopra is estimated to have a net worth of $1 Million to 5$ Million (Approx).
Facts About Neeraj Chopra
- Neeraj weighed 77kg at the age of 13, his uncle was strict and asked him to join sports.
- He is the second Indian athlete after Vikas Gowda to participate at the Diamond League event.
- His passion for the javelin throw was fuelled by endless hours of watching every YouTube video of Jan Zelenzy, a retired track and field athlete from the Czech Republic.
- With a busy practising schedule across India and abroad, Neeraj could attend regular school only up to Class IX and is now studying through the open school system.
- Neeraj Chopra is only the 2nd Indian to win an individual Olympic gold.
- Neeraj Chopra threw the javelin 87.58m to win the men’s javelin throw final.
- Neeraj Chopra added the 7th medal and the first gold to India’s campaign in Tokyo 2020.
Neeraj Chopra Rewards
- ₹75 lakh (US$110,000) from the Government of India.
- ₹6 crores (US$840,000) from the Government of Haryana.
- Rs. 2 crores from Punjab Government.
- BCCI announced a cash reward of Rs one crore for Chopra.
BYJU’S announced a cash reward of Rs 2 crore for Neeraj Chopra. - IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings also declared a reward of Rs one crore for Chopra.
- IndiGo announced that it will offer unlimited free travel for one year to Chopra.
