Neeraj Chopra

Neeraj Chopra is a world-famous Indian javelin thrower. He was born on 24 December 1997 to Satish Kumar and Saroj Devi in Panipat, Haryana. He is a brother of two sisters. He completed his schooling from BVN Public School. He attained a bachelor's degree in arts from Lovely Professional University (LPU), Punjab. When he joined Panipat Sports Authority, Chopra realized his sports potential, and Jaiveer Singh became his first coach. He started long run and javelin throw training at Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex under Naseem Ahmed. Chopra tested his talent in the Lucknow 2012 Junior Championship. He made a record throw of 68.4 meters.

After this showcase, Netaji Subhash National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala, invited him for training. He marked his debut at the world championships in 2013. He attained the 19th position in the World U18 Championship in Ukraine. The breakthrough moment in his life was his first gold medal in the 2016 South Asian Games in India. In 2016, he set a World Under 20 record in the World U20 Championship in Poland. A pivotal moment in his career was securing a Gold medal and being designated a National Record in the Asian Games (2018) held in Indonesia.

Impressed by his achievement, in 2017, the Indian army recruited him as a Junior Commission Officer at the rank of Naib Subedar. He also joined the Mission Olympic Wing. In 2019, he participated in the Tokyo Olympics (2020) and won a Gold medal with an 86.58m throw. This win made him an icon all over India as he was the second Indian to secure a gold medal in the Olympics after Abhinav Bindra. In the Asian Games 2023 and World Athletics Championship 2023, he bagged a Gold Medal. Chopra's dedication to sports has been honoured by award laureates, which include Arjuna Award (2018), Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award (2021), and the Padma Shri Award in 2022.