Neeraj Chopra’s records: The youngster penned history today at Tokyo by becoming the first Indian to bag a gold medal in track and field events in Olympics. He also became India’s second Olympic gold-medalist after Abhinav Bindra.
He chronicled an emphatic throw of 87.58 meters in his second round, bettering his own in the first round to remain clinically ahead of the silver medal winner. After the first two rounds, he couldn’t really cross the colossal threshold once again but he ensured the fact that the opening throws were too titanic to be touched.
Despite being in hot pursuit of the ace, Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlech could only kiss 86.67m in his fifth shy at glory and that bagged him silver. It was another Czech Republican, Vesely Vitezslav to win the bronze with an emphatic throw of 85.44 m.
With all said and done, the Olympics medal was just a culmination of his superhuman achievements in Javelin’s throw for the past few years. Neeraj Chopra’s records are already fascinating ever since his footfall in the arcade. We will take a quick look at the records held by this 23-year gold medalist from India.
Neeraj Chopra’s records in all events:
1. South Asian Games – 2016
In 2016, his throw of 82.23m made him shatter the Asian junior record and also placed him I the same category as India’s senior record holder. He went on to win the Gold medal in that fray and that was just the beginning of an incredible tale from folklore.
2. IAAF World U20 Championship
He created another record in the IAAF World U20 Championship held at Bydgoszcz, Poland with a monstrous throw of 86.48m, a record that still stands. He was just 18 years old when this record was created.
3. Commonwealth Games – 2018
The robust youngster, buoyed by belief and incredible energy went on to belt out a season-best throw of 86.47m at the 2018 Commonwealth Games held in Goldcoast. This throw also made him the first-ever Indian gold-medalist in Javelin’s throw at the Common Wealth Games and also guaranteed him a spot in the list of the elites who bagged the ace in their CWG debut.
4. Doha Diamond Leagues
The young lad from the Indian Army Sports Institute, Chopra bettered his own national record by bagging a throw of 87.43m.
5. Arjuna Award
The young lad from Haryana was conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2018 after consecutive gold medals in the Asian Games, CWG and Asian Athletic championship.
6. Asian Games – 2018
Chopra hammered another impeccable throw of 88.06m to bag the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games to create a national record that was once again bettering his preceding one.
7. Vishisht Seva Medal
The Vishisht Seva Medal is the award of the Indian armed forces given to discern the “distinguished service of a high order.” Chopra is a junior commissioned officer alongside being an athlete, plying his trade for the armed forces, where his emphatic contribution was awarded the VSM.
8. The Olympic Gold
Shattering all the aforementioned records, he went onto kiss his lifelong dream, propelling India for the first time to a gold podium in track and field events, Neeraj Chopra bagged gold in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics with a sublime throw of 87.58 meters.
