Neeraj Chopra's rise to stardom from a Haryana village has been nothing short of spectacular.
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra received the Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian award.
Winning the gold at the World Championships in August and breaching the magical 90m mark are Neeraj Chopra's targets this year.
Neeraj Chopra created history on August, becoming the first Indian to win a gold in track and field at the Olympics. He threw the javelin to a distance of 87.58m to pick the yellow metal at the Tokyo Games. The 23-year-old athlete is only behind German athlete Johannes Vetter who has a 1396 score as per the latest update issued by World Athletics.
Neeraj, who will look to defend his javelin throw title in Tokyo, and Arshad were expected to mark their first face-off this year at the Silesia Diamond League in Poland in August.
It was BCCI that 'bought' Neeraj Chopra's javelin during e-auction in 2021
Ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Thursday endured the pain of missing out on a medal after he finished a lowly eighth at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The country also mounted bids on some high-profile continental and global events, including the 2031 World Athletics Championships with Ahmedabad as the proposed venue.
Descendants of Maratha soldiers from the 3rd Battle of Panipat, who settled in Haryana after the war, are elated by the Olympian's feat.
Ahead of the Neeraj Chopra (NC) Classic in Bengaluru, two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra expressed his emotions for the tournament where he said that the national flag has to fly higher on its own soil.
The Sports Ministry has introduced stricter guidelines for selecting coaches for India's Asian Games contingent, prioritising demonstrable contribution and regular association with athletes to manage the increasing number of requests.
The 25-year-old Indian was one of the five athletes shortlisted for the prestigious honour.
'I wanted to step out there and give my best for India despite all the challenges but it wasn't my night.'
Chopra has now set his sights on this year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Neeraj claimed victory in the men's javelin event with a remarkable throw of 87.66m
Neeraj Chopra underlined his claim as the favourite with a single throw on Tuesday, launching his Olympic title defence with 89.34 metres in qualification.
Neeraj Chopra on Wednesday clarified that Sunday's Paris Diamond League was never a part of his competition calendar this year.
Anderson Peters of Grenada and Tokyo Olympics silver winner Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic had come up with 93.07m and 90.88m throws respectively
Celebrations break out in Neeraj Chopra's village
Neeraj Chopra scripted history in Tokyo on Saturday, winning the men's Javelin Throw and ending India's wait for an elusive medal in athletics at the Olympics.
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra will begin the season at the Doha Diamond League.
Chopra was delighted to win on his comeback from a groin injury
Neeraj Chopra is all about greatness without pretensions.
Subedar Neeraj Chopra, who created history last year by winning India's first athletics gold medal in Olympics, was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal on Tuesday for his distinguished service.
Double Olympic-medallist Neeraj Chopra showed his generous and compassionate side, surprising a fan with an all-expense paid trip to watch the Neeraj Chopra Classic, to be held in Bengaluru next week.
DP Manu and Kishore Jena are the other two javelin throwers who will be in action on Friday.
Neeraj Chopra will be the cynosure of all eyes as India begins its athletics campaign in the Asian Games
India will host the World Indoor Athletics Championships for the first time in 2028 in Bhubaneswar. The decision was made at the World Athletics Council meeting in Torun, Poland.
Chopra had said in recent media interactions that he would not put himself under pressure with the thought of throwing beyond 90m and would look to build up gradually to peak during the July 15-24 World Championships in Eugene, USA.
Neeraj Chopra said he will need to work harder on his core muscles and make his body stronger to consistently log 90-plus distances in international competitions.
History was made under the Doha lights as Neeraj Chopra finally broke the 90-meter barrier - a mark he had chased for years.
Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finished at a respectable fifth position in a 10-man elite field after producing a best effort of 84.67m at the prestigious Diamond League in Paris on Sunday.
India's Olympic Heroes Neeraj Chopra and Manu Bhaker posted Holi greetings on their respective social media handles on Friday.
Neeraj Chopra won again, but not in the manner he would have liked to, and he had no qualms in admitting it.
Neeraj Chopra would now be eyeing a top finish when he goes up against familiar rivals in the prestigious Paris Diamond League
'I try to stay calm on the day of my event. I don't think too much about it. I just focus on giving my 100%. I try to stay relaxed, eat good food, and rest well.'
Neeraj Chopra broke his own meet record while Sable set a new national record time of 8 minutes 20.20 seconds to win the 3000m steeplechase
Neeraj Chopra has been told by the SAI to stay at his hostel room without mixing up with other athletes at the NIS if he has to be at the premier sports facility of the country. He returned to India from Turkey on Wednesday.
India's world champion Neeraj Chopra dethroned Grenada's Anderson Peters to reclaim the number one spot in men's javelin throw world rankings following a string of brilliant performances on the international stage recently.
Neeraj Chopra had fallen agonisingly short of the 90m mark, throwing the spear to a distance of 89.94m at the Diamond League meet in Stockholm.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances