Neeraj Chopra: Profile, Biography and Achievements

Indian track and field athlete Neeraj Chopra competes on the world stage. Young though he is, Neeraj has accomplished a lot. He represented India at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, where he took first place in the javelin throw competition and earned India’s first gold medal. Neeraj is currently ranked second in the world-by-World Athletics after a strong Olympic campaign.

Neeraj is an Indian Army Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) who also pursues a career in sports. In 2016, he became the first Indian athlete to set a global record by tossing a javelin 86.48 meters in distance at the world under-20 javelin throw competition. Since then, he has set numerous other world records.

• Neeraj Chopra Biography:

Full Name: Neeraj Chopra

Nick Name: Nijju

Profession: Javelin Thrower and Junior Commissioned Officer

Net Worth: $ 4.5 million

• Neeraj Chopra Physical Status:

Height: 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)

Weight: 86kg (189 pounds)

Eye Color: Black

Hair Color: Black

• Neeraj Chopra Personal Life:

Date of Birth: December 24, 1997

Place of Birth: Khandra Village, Panipat, Haryana

Nationality: Indian

Religion: Hinduism

Hometown:  Khandra Village, Haryana

Education: i) DAV College, Chandigarh

                        ii) Pursuing B.A from Lovely Professional University, Punjab

Hobbies: Taking care of animals

• Neeraj Chopra Family:

Father Name: Satish Kumar

Mother Name: Saroj Devi

Marital Status: Unmarried

Siblings: Two sisters- Sangeeta and Sarita

• Athletic Career

Neeraj was bullied for his weight as a child, which led to his father enrolling him in a gym in Madlauda and later in Panipat. Jaiveer Choudhary, a javelin thrower, was aware of his talent as he frequented the Panipat Sports Authority. He also served as Neeraj’s initial trainer. After that, Naseem Ahmad began training Neeraj at the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex in Panchkula. He taught him how to throw the javelin and run a long distance. He was able to throw a distance of 55 meters, but when it came time to compete in the 2012 Junior Championship in Lucknow, he set a record throw of 68.40 meters. 

He threw a record-breaking 81.04 meters in the junior division and 70 meters at the senior national competition. After that, he got a call from NIS Patiala, where he went to train. Silver was Neeraj’s first medal, won in the 2014 Youth Olympics Qualification in Bangkok. Chopra set a record at the South Asian Games, throwing 87.3 meters to win gold. Again, he had a successful year in 2016, but owing to a conflicting cutoff date, he was unable to qualify for the Olympics in Rio. At the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, he won the gold medal and set a junior world record in the javelin throw with a throw of 86.48 meters. 

• Achievements

Medal	Year	Match	Place
Gold	2016	South Asian Games in Guwahati	India
Gold	2016	World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz	Poland
Gold	2017	Asian Championships in Bhubaneswar	India
Gold	2018	Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast	Australia
Gold	2018	Sotteville Athletics Meet in Sotteville-les-Rouen	France
Gold	2018	Savo Games in Lapinlahti	Finland
Gold	2018	Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang	Indonesia
Gold	2021	Tokyo Olympics 2020	Tokyo
Gold	2023	Lausanne Diamond League	Switzerland
Silver	2016	Asian Junior Championships in Ho Chi Minh City	Vietnam
Silver	2017	Asian Grand Prix Series in Jiaxing	China
Silver	2017	Asian Grand Prix Series in Jiaxing	China
Silver	2018	Offenburg Speerwurf Meeting in Offenburg	Germany
Silver	2022	Paavo Nurmi Games	Finland
Silver	2022	World Athletics Championships	Eugene
Bronze	2017	Asian Grand Prix Series in Taipei	Taiwan

• Awards and Accolades

Neeraj Chopra has received numerous honors for his unparalleled contributions to sports. The Padma Shri Award, the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, and the Vishisht Seva Medal by the Indian Army are a few of the most illustrious honors.

• Neeraj Chopra’s Career in the 

Neeraj Chopra received a job offer as a junior commissioned officer of the Rajputana Rifles as a result of his success at the South Asian Games. Additionally, he received the title of Naib Subedar. He was formally accepted into JOC in 2016 and granted a leave of absence to pursue training.