1
Olympic champion
Won javelin gold at Tokyo 2020.
Stories of achievement, courage and contribution
Neeraj Chopra is an Indian javelin thrower whose Olympic and world-championship success transformed the profile of Indian athletics. His Tokyo 2020 gold, 2023 world title and Paris 2024 silver established him among the defining Indian athletes of his generation.
Chopra grew up in Khandra village in Haryana and began javelin after entering athletics as a teenager. Early progress at Panipat and later national training centres quickly marked him as an exceptional throwing talent.
His breakthrough came at the 2016 World U20 Championships, where he won gold with a world junior record of 86.48 metres. He then added Commonwealth and Asian Games titles before reaching the Olympic stage.
At Tokyo 2020, held in 2021, Chopra won gold and became the first Indian athlete to win an Olympic title in track and field. He later won the 2023 World Athletics Championships and followed his Tokyo triumph with silver at Paris 2024.
Chopra won gold in Bydgoszcz with a world junior record of 86.48 metres.
He won gold at both major multi-sport events and emerged as India’s leading javelin thrower.
A best throw of 87.58 metres delivered India’s first Olympic athletics gold medal.
Chopra became the first Indian man to win a World Athletics Championships medal.
He won the world title in Budapest, adding the biggest global championship outside the Olympics.
Chopra returned to the Olympic podium with silver, confirming his consistency at the highest level.
Tokyo 2020 was more than an individual medal. Chopra’s victory gave India its first Olympic gold in athletics and created a new national audience for javelin and track-and-field preparation.
Performance • Resilience • Indian SportWon javelin gold at Tokyo 2020.
Returned to the podium at Paris 2024.
Won the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
Set 86.48 metres while winning the 2016 junior world title.
Won both titles in 2018.
Made javelin one of India’s most closely followed Olympic events.
Official international athletics results, rankings and athlete records.
View source →Olympic athlete and medal records.
View source →National governing body for athletics in India.
View source →He won gold in the men’s javelin throw with a best throw of 87.58 metres.
He won the Olympic silver medal in men’s javelin.
He won the World Athletics Championships title in 2023.
He set a world junior record of 86.48 metres while winning the World U20 title.
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