3 lesser-known records of Neeraj Chopra
India’s golden boy and ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra created another record in Finland. Chopra, who is the first ever Olympic gold medallist in athletics in India, broke his own national record at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland.
He won a silver medal with 89.30m long throw at the Paavo event. He opened with an impressive 86.92m long thrown before the final one.
His 87.58m long throw helped him win gold at the Tokyo Olympics in August, 2021
Chopra also posted a video of the throw on his social media handles.
The champion is well known for these two achievements now. And of course there are more. As he breaks another record, let’s celebrate the big win with some appreciation for the previous ones.
NEERAJ CHOPRA'S PREVIOUS RECORDS
1. First Indian track and field athlete to set a world record
Neeraj Chopra’s winning throw of 86.48m at the junior championships in Poland also set the new under-20 world record, beating the 84.69m mark established by the previous holder, Latvia's Zigismunds Sirmais.
Chopra’s 86.48m attempt at Bydgoszcz still stands as both the U20 world record as well as the U20 Asian record in the javelin throw.
2. First Indian javelin thrower to win gold at Asian Games
The young champion won a gold medal at Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018. He became the first Indian javelin thrower to win a gold medal at the Asian Games.
3. First Indian track and field athlete to win a world championship
In 2016, IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland,Neeraj Chopra won a gold medal at the age of 18 years. He was the first Indian track and field athlete to become a world champion in any event and any age level.