Neeraj Chopra Life Story: Indian Olympic Gold Medalist Wanted by Army
Neeraj Chopra is an Indian-born Javelin thrower with a golden record in the Olympics. In field and track events. In this post, you’ll learn about Neeraj Chopra’s life story. By learning about his early life, birthday, family background, educational qualification, and physique. Everything about NEERAJ CHOPRA.
Neeraj Chopra Early Life
Neeraj Chopra is a young Indian Olympic gold medalist and a member of the Indian army. He had his early life in Khandra village in the Panipat district, where he was born. And the source of livelihood for his family was agriculture. In other words, Neeraj Chopra’s background was a very humble one.
As a child, Neeraj Chopra lived with 17 other family members. Other kids in his locality would sneer at him for his overweight body. And at 12, Neeraj Chopra was weighing 90 kilos. Disturbed by this reality, Neeraj’s family members felt he should shed off some carbs.
Thus after his dad talked him into this, he got him enrolled in a gymnasium at Madlauda. And afterward, one at Panipat.
Neeraj Chopra Birthday
Khandra is Neeraj Chopra’s birthplace and hometown. He was born on December 24, 1997. The names of his father and mother are Satish Kumar and Saroj Devi . His mother was a full housewife, while his dad was a farmer who cultivated crops in the small village of Khandra.
Neeraj Chopra Educational Qualification
Like most kids in India, Neeraj Chopra had a formal education. He got schooled at Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College in Chandigarh. By the year 2021, he started his degree program in Kurukshetra University, Haryana.
Stars Unfolded reported that Neeraj Chopra’s formal education was after class 9. And that he had to leave home at 14 to pursue his dream of javelin throwing. A decision that was quite difficult for his family.
Height of Neeraj Chopra
As a gold medalist javelin thrower, many wonder what Chopra ‘s height and weight could be. That he got noticed globally in the field and track events. Neeraj Chopra’s height and weight are 5.93ft (178cm) and 86kg. He used this physique to his advantage and that of the country. In countless international competitions.
Neeraj Chopra Family background & Personal life
Neeraj Chopra family background is a humble one. However, there seems to be so much more information about Neeraj Chopra’s profession than his personal life. But Neeraj Chopra is a lover of animals. And from time to time, he shares pictures of himself with puppies and dogs on his social media handle.
Neeraj Chopra is a comely young man, yet he’s unmarried. There’s no real information about his relationship status. And so, many don’t know his plan for marriage.
Even so, Neeraj Chopra is very proud of his nationality as an Indian. You’ll observe that in the bio section of his Twitter handle.
Meanwhile, Neeraj Chopra in his personal life has a few favorites. His favorite movie is the Rocky Series, Laal Rang (2016). Also, he likes virtual games including Javelin Master 2, Brothers in Arms, and Asphaltite.
Neeraj Chopra profession
As a young boy, Neeraj Chopra got to love sporting activities, particularly Javelin. Neeraj Chopra’s early life reflected a war with obesity. A battle that got him enrolled in a gym at Panipat. A decision he never knew will birth a career the world will know him for.
During that time, Neeraj commuted to Shivaji Stadium in Panipat. For his running exercise. And always he would observe and watch practicing javelin throwers with much excitement. And his interest in the sport grew, and he began to take part in it with zero skill.
As time went by, Neeraj learned . But in 2010, during winter. At the Sports Authority of India (Sai) center, he encountered Jaiver Chaudhary. And as an experienced javelin thrower, Chaudhary who’s from Binghol noticed Neeraj’s potential.
That was after Chopra had made a 40metre throw without training. At Chaudhary’s bidding. And seeing the level of enthusiasm of Neeraj in the javelin, Chaudhary became his first coach.
Neeraj Chopra Javelin Learning
Thus, his encounter with Jaiver at the age of 11 was very profound in Neeraj Chopra’s career as a Javelin thrower. At that time, during vacations, Chopra would use his pocket money to travel 17km. To the stadium for his exercise with the hope of returning with his uncle who worked in Panipat city.
Thus, Neeraj learned the rudiment of the javelin from Chaudhary. Neeraj was open enough to learn from other experienced athletes in his space.
Neeraj Chopra left home at age 14 for Panchkula. He’s unhappy with the lack of training facilities to help his career in the javelin,
Leaving home was a tough decision. But that would grant him access and use the training facilities at the Tau Devi Also stadium. One of the two facilities in the state of Haryana. Hence, after much talk with family members, he left Khandra. That was after he had won his first medal (a bronze) in a district championship.
Neeraj Chopra Vs International recognition
Neeraj Chopra’s athletic career took its global route in 2013. At the World Youth championship hosted in Ukraine. But in 2014, he bagged home his first international medal, which was a silver. That was in Bengal at the 2014 Youth Olympics qualifications.
Also in that same year, for the first time, Neeraj Chopra attained a throw of over 70meters. In the senior nationals of the year.
And a year later, Chopra went on to set a new record as he made a throw of 81.04 meters. At the All India Inter-University Athletics hosted in 2015.
Also, after finishing fifth at the 2015 National Games in Kerala, Chopra got called up for a training camp at the National level. Thus, making him leave Panchkula in 2016. For training at Netaji Subhas National Institute of sports.
Now with better training facilities and conditions and boosted morale, Neeraj for the first time, got assigned a dedicated coach in Javelin, Kashinath Naik, a bronze medalist at the 2010 Commonwealth games. But soon enough, after a month, he realized his self-training ticked for him, as Naik’s coaching style wasn’t appealing to him.
Neeraj Chopra Army Career
Before Neeraj Chopra’s rank in the army, he achieved a new record during the athletic finals of the 2016 South Asian Games in Guwahati on February 9. There, he won gold with his 82.23 meters throw, which fell short of the Olympics qualifying mark. That’s 83metre.
Regardless, that same month, he started training under Gary Calvert, an Australian coach. For the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championship in Bydgoszcz, Poland. And there, he finally set a new record with a throw of 86.48m. And then, won a gold medal— being the first Indian athlete to achieve such a spectacular global record.
Chopra’s performance at the South Asian Games thrilled his people back at home. But the Indian army got impressed and offered him a direct appointment in the army. To become a Junior commissioner officer (JCO) in the Rajputana Rifles with a Naib Subedar rank.
And as a result, in December 2016, Neeraj got inducted as a JCO. But he got an extended leave to continue training at the Sports Authority of India in Bangalore.
Chopra Gold Medal
Gold medals of Neeraj Chopra make the list of Indian accolades in the field and track events. Below are the Neeraj gold medal and the event or competition where he won them:
- Neeraj Chopra won a gold medal in the National Junior Athletics Championships. An event that took place in Lucknow on October 27, 2012. At the time, he made a throw of 68.40meters, which was a new national record in the sport of javelin throwing.
- Chopra won another gold medal in the athletics finals of the 2016 South Asian Games. That was after making a throw of 82.23 meters in Guwahati on February 9 the same year.
- Also, in the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, Chopra won a gold medal. With a throw of 86.48 m, he set a new world junior record.
- In the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships, Neeraj Chopra bagged another gold medal with an 85.23-meter throw.
- At the 2018 Asian Games, Chopra won a gold medal in the Men’s javelin throw by making his mind-blowing distance throw of 88.06 On 27 August.
- Also, in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Neeraj Chopra won a gold medal after making a throw of 86.47 m.
- On August 7, 2021, Chopra won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Being his debut performance at the Olympics, he took the gold home with a throw of 87.58 m in his second attempt.
Neeraj Chopra Net Worth
According to CAknowledge, Neeraj Chopra, the world specular Javelin thrower has an estimated Net Worth of $3 Million. It reported that most of incomes basically from the awards in has earned. Some which include the several golden medals he has won in several national and international competitions
Neeraj Chopra Wife
You are just as curious as everyone else. Where is Neeraj Chopra’s wife? Or Is he taking her face off the limelight? Well, the truth is that, as at the time of writing this post, Neeraj Chopra is unmarried.
Neeraj Chopra Life Story: Summary
| Name | Neeraj Chopra |
| Parents names | Father’s name– Satish Kumar
Mother’s name– Saroj Devi |
| Date of birth | December 24, 1997 |
| Country | Indian |
| Birthplace | Khandra, Haryana, India |
| Home (and District) | Khandra, Panipat |
| Weight | 86kg |
| Height | 5.93ft (178 cm) |
| School attended and educational qualification | Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College
University in Jalandhar |
| Eye and Hair Color | Black |
| Marital status | Unmarried |
| Profession | Javelin thrower and Junior commissioned Officer |
| Ethnicity | Ror Maratha |
| Net worth | $3 Million |
| Army Rank | Subedar |
| Best Javelin throw record | 88.06 metres |
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Conclusion
Neeraj Chopra’s biography is an inspiring one, and you must have learned that as humans we can become anything we want to be. After Abhinav Bindra in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Neeraj was the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal. But first, he was determined and committed to his life goals.
According to Neeraj’s Uncle, Neeraj Chopra kept his phone off for a year before Tokyo Olympics 2020 (which later took place in 2021 because of Covid pandemic). Just imagine such a price!
You’re only limited by the limitations you place on yourself. Read the inspiring life of the man born without limbs.
