Chopra is the firstathletics gold medalist forIndia. As of 2024[update], he is one of only two Indians to have won an individual Olympic gold medal, the youngest-ever Indian Olympic gold medalist in an individual event and the only individual to have won gold on his Olympic debut. After his silver at the2024 Olympics, he became one of five individual multiple Olympic medalists for India. He is the first Indian to win a gold medal at theWorld U20 Championships, where he set the currentworld U20 record throw of 86.48 m in2016, also becoming the first Indian athlete to set a world record in athletics.[12]
Early life
Family
Chopra was born on 24 December 1997 in aHaryanviRor agricultural family inKhandra village inPanipat district ofHaryana.[13] His mother Saroj Devi and father Satish Chopra are both farmers.[14] He has two sisters Savita Chopra and Sangeeta Chopra.[15]
Education and early training
Chopra did his initial schooling from Bhartiya Vidya Niketan Public School, Panipat. After some locals teased him about hisobesity, he enrolled in a gym inPanipat. While training there, he saw javelin throwers practising at the Shivaji Stadium and took up the sport.[16] In 2010, he moved toPanchkula to train at the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex, aged 13.[17] After moving to Panchkula, he joined theDayanand Anglo-Vedic College,Chandigarh, where he completed his schooling.[18][19]
Alongside his schooling, Chopra won several national javelin championships in 2012 and 2014.[17] Based on his performance at sports tournaments, Chopra was recruited into theIndian Army in 2016, where he was selected for the Mission Olympics Wing training at the Army Sports Institute inPune.[19][17] In 2021, he enrolled atLovely Professional University inJalandhar, Punjab and then proceeded to complete hisBachelor of Arts degree.[20]
Personal life
In January 2025, Chopra married former tennis player and coach Himani Mor.[21][22]
Career
Beginnings (2010–2012)
In 2010, Chopra took part in a trial at theSports Authority of India centre in Panipat.[23] On observing his ability to achieve good throws without any formal training, javelin thrower Jaiveer Singh started training him.[24][25] He learned the basics of the sport from Singh and practised with athletes atJalandhar.[26] He finished third at the district event, and persuaded his family to let him train at the SAI centre to hone his abilities.[26] After training at SAI for a year, the 13-year-old Chopra moved to train at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium inPanchkula, one of the only two facilities inHaryana with a synthetic runway. As the facility lacked a specialised javelin coach, he trained under Naseem Ahmad, a running coach.[24]
At the time, he and fellow javelin thrower Parminder Singh watched videos ofJan Zelezny to try and emulate his style.[26] Initially, he achieved throws of around 55 m (180 ft), but slowly increased his range. At the National Junior Athletics Championships held atLucknow in October 2012, he won the gold medal with a new juniornational record throw of 68.40 m (224.4 ft).[27][28]
International level emergence (2013–2016)
In 2013, Chopra competed in his first international competition, theWorld Youth Championships inDonetsk, Ukraine, where he finished 19th in the overall classification with a best throw of 66.75 m.[29][26] He won his first international medal in 2014, a silver at theYouth Olympics Qualification inBangkok.[30] At the 2014 senior nationals, he achieved his first throw of over 70 m (230 ft).[31] In 2015, he broke the thenworld junior record at the 2015 All India Inter-University Athletics meet with a throw of 81.04 m (265.9 ft), which was his first throw over 80 m (260 ft).[28] Chopra finished fifth at the2015 National Games inKerala.[32] He also participated at the2015 Asian Athletics Championships where he finished 9th with a best throw of 70.50 m.[33] As a result of his performance, he was called to the national-level training camp at theNetaji Subhas National Institute of Sports inPatiala in early 2016.[25][26][34] According to him, this was a turning point in his career, as he received better facilities, better food and an improved standard of training from what was available at Panchkula. Also, training with national level javelin throwers helped boost his morale.[32] He was assigned2010 Commonwealth Games bronze medalistKashinath Naik as his coach.[24]
At the2016 South Asian Games, Chopra achieved a new personal best when he won gold with a throw of 82.23 m (269.8 ft) inGuwahati on 9 February.[26] After the event, he began training under Australian coach Gary Calvert, who was appointed as the national javelin coach.[24] He also sustained a back injury in April 2016 during the Federation Cup in New Delhi, which affected his performance.[12] In July 2016, he won the gold medal at the2016 IAAF World U20 Championships inBydgoszcz, Poland with a 86.48 m (283.7 ft) throw to set a new world junior record and became the first Indian to hold the national senior record and world junior record simultaneously.[12] Although his record throw was above the qualification standard for the2016 Olympics, he failed to qualify as the cut-off date had already elapsed.[12] In September 2016, he left the Netaji Subhas Institute to train at the SAI centre inBangalore. In December 2016, he was formally inducted as aJunior Commissioned Officer in theIndian Army. He was offered a rank ofNaib Subedar in theRajputana Rifles.[35][a][36] He subsequently received extended leave to continue his training.[34] He won gold in the2017 Asian Athletics Championships atBhubaneshwar with a throw of 85.23 m (279.6 ft).[37]
Asian and Commonwealth champion (2017–2020)
GeneralBipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff, congratulating Neeraj Chopra (second from right) for his performance in the2018 Commonwealth Games.
In the2017 World Championships in August, Chopra finished 15th in the overall classification with a best throw of 82.26 m (269.9 ft). On 24 August, he suffered a groin injury during theZürich Weltklasse. He sustained the injury during his third attempt of 83.39 m (273.6 ft) before he fouled his fourth attempt and skipped the last two. His first and best throw of 83.80 m (274.9 ft) gave him a seventh-place finish.[38] He attributed his injury to a heavy schedule and the lack of a proper diet and rest. As a result of his injury, he withdrew from competition for the remainder of 2017. During recovery, he spent a month at the Joint Services Wing sports institute atVijayanagar.[39] In November 2017, he left forOffenburg in Germany to train with Werner Daniels, whom he had briefly worked with before the 2017 World Championships as his former coach Calvert had left India in May due to disputes over his contract.[40][41] During his stay there, he focused on strength training and honed his technique with adjustments to his stance to keep his hand raised higher during throws to improve his range.[39]
In the2018 Commonwealth Games, Chopra registered a season-best effort of 86.47 m (283.7 ft) to win the gold medal. He became the first Indian to win the javelin throw at theCommonwealth Games.[42] In May 2018, he bettered his national record at theQatar Athletic Super Grand Prix with a throw of 87.43 m (286.8 ft).[43] In August 2018, he made his debut at theAsian Games, and was the flag-bearer forIndia during the2018 Asian Games Parade of Nations.[44] On 27 August, he won the gold medal at theGames with a new Indian record throw of 88.06 m (288.9 ft). This was also India's first ever gold medal in the javelin throw at the Asian Games.[45]
Chopra was the only track and field athlete that year to be recommended by theAthletics Federation of India (AFI) for the country's highest sports award, theMajor Dhyanchand Khel Ratna.[46] He was awarded theArjuna Award in September 2018.[47] The army rewarded him with an out-of-turn promotion tosubedar in November.[48] In preparation for the2020 Tokyo Olympics, he trained with German coachUwe Hohn, South African biomechanics expert Klaus Bartonietz andphysiotherapist Ishaan Marwaha.[49] Hohn worked on refining Chopra's throwing technique, which he described as "wild".[24]
Injury and comeback (2019–2020)
Chopra missed the2019 World Championships in Doha due to injury. On 3 May 2019, he underwent surgery to remove bone spurs in his right elbow inMumbai.[50] After a period of recuperation and rehabilitative training in Patiala andVijayanagar, he travelled to South Africa in November 2019 to train under Bartonietz.[51][52] After a 16-month hiatus, he returned to international competition in January 2020. He registered a throw of 87.86 m (288.3 ft) in the Central North West Athletics League Meeting inPotchefstroom, South Africa. This helped him achieve the automatic qualification standard of 85 m (279 ft) and secure a place for the2020 Olympics.[51] He travelled to Turkey for training, but was forced to return to India in March 2020 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[53]
Due to the pandemic and lockdown in India, Chopra spent the next year training at Patiala.[54] In late 2020, theAthletics Federation of India and theGovernment of Odisha arranged a training camp atKalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, which he attended from December 2020 to February 2021.[55] On 5 March 2021, he again bettered his own national record with a throw of 88.07 m (288.9 ft), which ranked him third-best internationally for the season.[56] He applied to travel to Sweden for training, but faced difficulties due to the effects of the pandemic. After weeks of attempting to secure a visa, he was cleared to travel to Europe with his coach following the intervention of theMinistry of Youth Affairs and Sports and theMinistry of External Affairs.[54][57] He flew to Paris on 5 June 2021 for a mandatory quarantine period before travelling to Portugal for the Meeting Cidade de Lisboa.[53] He opened his international season of 2021 there with a throw of 83.18 m (272.9 ft), which earned him the gold medal.[58] He remained in Lisbon until 19 June before travelling toUppsala in Sweden for training.[59]
In June 2021, Chopra competed at the Karlstad GP inKarlstad, Sweden, which he won with a sub-par throw of 80.96 m (265.6 ft). He attributed his reduced performance to a tendency to throw the javelin higher than he wanted to, along with having to use a different javelin as his own was unavailable.[60][61] He won bronze at a subsequent meet inKuortane, Finland with a throw of 86.79 m (284.7 ft).[62] Following the Kuortane Games, he travelled toLucerne to compete in theSpitzen Leichtathletik Luzern, but decided to withdraw due to fatigue.[62] Later, he attempted to secure a visa for theDiamond League meeting atGateshead on 13 July, but faced difficulties due to the pandemic and instead continued training in Uppsala.[61]
Olympics, World and Diamond League champion (2021–2024)
On 4 August 2021, Chopra made his debut at theOlympics.[63] He topped his qualifying group with a throw of 86.65 m (284.3 ft) and achieved an automatic entry to the final.[64] In the final on 7 August, he won the gold medal with a throw of 87.58 m (287.3 ft) in his second attempt. He became the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal in athletics, and the first post-independence Indian Olympic medalist in athletics.[b][69] He also became the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal afterAbhinav Bindra and thefirst Asian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in javelin throw.[70][71] He also became the youngest-ever Indian Olympic gold medalist in an individual event and the only individual to have won gold on his Olympic debut.[72] His medal helped India register its best ever finish in the Olympic Games.[73] He dedicated his win to sprintersMilkha Singh andP. T. Usha, both former Olympians from India.[74] As a result of his performance, he reached the world number two ranking in the men's javelin throw.[75]
In June 2022 at thePaavo Nurmi Games inTurku, Finland, he placed second with a new personal best of 89.30 m (293.0 ft) and registered another new national record.[76][77][78] In the2022 Diamond League, Chopra broke his own national record with a throw of 89.94 m (295.1 ft) during his second-place effort at theBAUHAUS-galan inStockholm.[79] In July 2022, he won the silver medal at the2022 World Athletics Championships with a throw of 88.13 m (289.1 ft). This was India's second ever medal at theWorld Athletics Championships after long-jumperAnju Bobby George's bronze in 2003.[80][81] On 26 August, he registered another first place at theAthletissima atLausanne with a throw of 89.09 m (292.3 ft) and qualified for the Diamond League final at Weltklasse Zürich.[82][83] On 8 September, he won the final with a throw of 88.44 m (290.2 ft) and became the first Indian to win the Diamond League in any event.[84] In May 2023, he clinched the top spot in theDoha Diamond League with a throw of 88.67 m (290.9 ft).[85] In the same month, he achieved the first position in the men's javelin throw rankings issued byWorld Athletics for the first time.[86] In August 2023, he won the gold medal in2023 World Athletics Championships with a throw of 88.17 m (289.3 ft).[87] He became the first Asian to win gold in the javelin throw event at the World Championships.[70] In October 2023, he won his second Asian Games gold medal in the2022 Asian Games with a season-best throw of 88.88 m (291.6 ft).[88]
Chopra then competed at the2024 Paris Olympics. During the qualification round, he topped his group with a season-best throw of 89.34m.[93][94] In the final, only his second attempt was a legitimate throw, but at 89.45m it was enough to win the silver medal.[95] Following his gold at the 2020 Olympics, Chopra became the fifth individual multiple medallist for India and first to win a gold and silver combination.[96] After the Olympics, he secured second place at theLausanne meet, delivering a season-best throw of 89.49 meters.[97] Chopra finished the season by finishing 2nd at the2024 Diamond League.
Chopra has trained under several coaches, one of the earliest being Jaiveer Singh who coached him from 2010 to 2011.[108] Naseem Ahmed came next and remained his coach from 2011 to 2016.[109]Kashinath Naik was Chopra's briefest coach and trained him in 2016.[110] Gary Calvert took over the reins from 2016 to 2017.[111] He was coached byUwe Hohn from 2018 to 2021.[112]
Chopra's coaching under Klaus Bartonietz, from 2021 to 2024, resulted in several wins, titles, and gold medals.[113] Since 2025, he is being coached byJan Železný.[114]
^Normally, the Indian Army does not appoint fresh recruits to this position, but Chopra was granted a special appointment because of his performance in sports.
^TheInternational Olympic Committee andIndian Olympic Association officially recogniseNorman Pritchard to have been the first Indian track and field Olympic medalist, having competed at the1900 Paris Olympics, even though India was under British rule at that time.[65][66][67][68] Pritchard won the first Olympic track and field medal in the1900 Paris Olympics, competing in the 200 meter sprint and the 200 meter hurdles events. As British India did not officially gain representation within the Olympic Movement until 1920, he technically competed for Britain. However, the International Olympic Committee and the Athletics Federation of India officially regard him as having competed for India and credit his medals accordingly. Olympics historian and journalistGulu Ezekiel observes that though Pritchard was an Englishman of English parentage, he was born inCalcutta and developed his abilities as a sprinter and hurdler while representing theBengal Presidency in events within India.
^ab"Padma Awardees List 2022"(PDF).Ministry of Home Affairs. 25 January 2022.Archived(PDF) from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved25 January 2022.
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Jaiveer Singh
Gary Calvert
Uwe Hohn
Jan Železný
Donetsk, Ukraine
Wuhan, China
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Bydgoszcz, Poland
London, United Kingdom
Jakarta, Indonesia
Tokyo, Japan
Eugene, United States
Budapest, Hungary
Paris, France
Glasgow, Scotland
Finland
Portugal
Sweden
South Africa
Lausanne, Switzerland
Doha, Qatar
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