Olympic Superhero Neeraj Chopra Turns 25 — His Record-Busting Story So Far

Happy birthday Neeraj Chopra: We never tire of repeating that Chopra finally put India on the Olympic track and field medal map with his gold-grabbing javelin throw at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Now check out his other fantastic record-busting deeds and richly-deserved awards.

Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra celebrates his 25th birthday on December 24.  The young sportsman has already etched his name in history books by becoming the first and only track and field athlete from India to win an Olympic medal with his gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He is also India’s second individual Olympic gold medallist after shooter Abhinav Bindra.

On his 25th birthday, here’s a look at the Indian Javelin Star’s top records, achievements, and awards.

Neeraj Chopra won gold at the 2016 Guwahati South Asian Games with a personal best javelin throw of 82.23m . He also set the senior national record at the event.

In the same year, Chopra, bagged gold at the World U20 Championships in Poland with his 86.48m throw, and set the U20 World record as well as a U20 Asian record.

In 2017, at the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships in Bhubaneshwar, Chopra clinched another gold with an 85.23m winning throw.

In the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Australia, he became the first Indian javelin thrower to win a gold at the Commonwealth Games and only the fourth Indian to win a CWG gold.

In the 2018 Asian Games, Chopra won India’s maiden javelin throw gold in the tournament held in Jakarta. With an 88.06m effort he then set a new national record.

After missing the entire 2019 season due to an elbow injury and another year due to the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, Chopra made probably one of the greatest returns in the sport’s history.  In the Tokyo Olympics final in August 2021, Chopra won the country’s first-ever athletics gold in the Olympics, with a massive 87.58m throw.

In the 2022 Paavo Nurmi Games 2022, Chopra won silver and bettered his own javelin national record (88.07m) by more than a metre with a massive 89.30m throw.

In the 2022 Kuortane Games, he won the first gold of the season with an opening effort of 86.69m.

In the 2022 Stockholm Diamond League, Chopra registered his personal best throw till date and a new national record with an 89.94m second finish throw. This was also his closest effort to the ambitious 90m mark.

In the 2022 World Athletics Championship, he scripted history again as he became only the second Indian and first male track and field athlete to win a medal in the World Championships. He clinched silver in the javelin throw final with a best throw of 88.13m.

In the 2022 Diamond league event held in Zurich, Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to win the prestigious Diamond League Finals title. With a throw of 88.44m, his fourth career best, Chopra comfortably clinched the top spot.

In 2018, Neeraj Chopra was honoured with the Arjuna Award.

He received the Arjuna Award and the Vishist Seva Medal (VSM) in 2020 for excellence in sports.

In 2021, he received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award (formerly known as Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award).

In 2022, he was conferred with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award of India.

He also received the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) in 2022.

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)