History of Neeraj Chopra in Timeline

Neeraj Chopra is a highly accomplished Indian javelin thrower, widely regarded as India's greatest in the sport. He is an Olympic, World Championships, and Asian Games medalist, holding a unique distinction of winning gold medals in each of these major tournaments. Most notably, he won gold at the 2020 Olympics, becoming the first Asian javelin thrower to achieve this feat. He further solidified his legacy by becoming the first Asian to win gold in javelin at the World Championships in 2023. Chopra also holds the junior javelin throw world record since 2016. He also has a podium finish streak in 24 consecutive competitions.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

December 1997: Neeraj Chopra's Birth

In December 1997, Neeraj Chopra, an Indian track and field athlete, was born.

December 1997: Birth in Haryana

Neeraj Chopra was born on 24 December 1997 in Khandra village in Panipat district of Haryana.

2010: Jaiveer Singh Coaching

In 2010, Neeraj Chopra began training under Jaiveer Singh.

2010: Moved to Panchkula for Training

In 2010, Neeraj Chopra moved to Panchkula to train at the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex, at the age of 13.

2010: Training with Kashinath Naik

In 2010, Neeraj Chopra was assigned Kashinath Naik, 2010 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist, as his coach.

2010: Trial at SAI Center

In the winter of 2010, Neeraj Chopra trialed himself at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Panipat, leading to formal training.

2011: Coaching Under Naseem Ahmed

From 2011, Neeraj Chopra was coached by Naseem Ahmed.

October 2012: Gold Medal at National Junior Athletics Championships

At the National Junior Athletics Championships held at Lucknow in October 2012, Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal with a new junior national record throw of 68.40 m.

2012: National Javelin Championships

In 2012, alongside his schooling, Neeraj Chopra won several national javelin championships.

2013: First International Competition

In 2013, Neeraj Chopra competed in his first international competition, the World Youth Championships in Donetsk, Ukraine, where he finished 19th.

2014: First International Medal

In 2014, Neeraj Chopra won his first international medal, a silver at the Youth Olympics Qualification in Bangkok.

2014: National Javelin Championships

In 2014, alongside his schooling, Neeraj Chopra won several national javelin championships.

2015: Broke World Junior Record

In 2015, Neeraj Chopra broke the then world junior record at the 2015 All India Inter-University Athletics meet, throwing 81.04 m.

April 2016: Back Injury

In April 2016, Neeraj Chopra sustained a back injury during the Federation Cup in New Delhi, which affected his performance.

July 2016: Gold Medal at IAAF World U20 Championships

In July 2016, Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland with a 86.48 m throw to set a new world junior record.

September 2016: Training at SAI Center in Bangalore

In September 2016, Neeraj Chopra left the Netaji Subhas Institute to train at the SAI centre in Bangalore.

December 2016: Induction into Indian Army

In December 2016, Neeraj Chopra was formally inducted as a Junior Commissioned Officer in the Indian Army and was offered a rank of Naib Subedar in the Rajputana Rifles.

2016: Coaching Under Kashinath Naik and Gary Calvert

In 2016, Kashinath Naik briefly coached Neeraj Chopra, followed by Gary Calvert.

2016: Recruitment into Indian Army

In 2016, Neeraj Chopra was recruited into the Indian Army and selected for the Mission Olympics Wing training at the Army Sports Institute in Pune.

2016: World U-20 Championships Win and World Record

In 2016, Neeraj Chopra was the first Indian to win at the World U-20 Championships, where he achieved a world U20 record throw of 86.48 m, becoming the first Indian athlete to set a world record in athletics.

2016: National Training Camp

In early 2016, as a result of his performance, Neeraj Chopra was called to the national-level training camp at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports in Patiala.

2016: Junior Javelin Throw World Record

Since his performance at the 2016 World U20 Championship, Neeraj Chopra continues to hold the junior javelin throw world record.

November 2017: Training in Germany

In November 2017, Neeraj Chopra left for Offenburg in Germany to train with Werner Daniels, focusing on strength training and technique.

2017: Gary Calvert Coaching

In 2017, Gary Calvert continued to coach Neeraj Chopra.

2017: Gold in Asian Athletics Championships

In 2017, Neeraj Chopra won gold in the Asian Athletics Championships at Bhubaneshwar with a throw of 85.23 m.

May 2018: National Record at Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix

In May 2018, Neeraj Chopra bettered his national record at the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix with a throw of 87.43 m.

August 2018: Gold Medal at the Asian Games

In August 2018, Neeraj Chopra made his debut at the Asian Games and was the flag-bearer for India during the parade of nations, where he threw a distance of 88.06 m to win the gold medal.

September 2018: Arjuna Award

In September 2018, Neeraj Chopra was awarded the Arjuna Award.

2018: Arjuna Award

In 2018, Neeraj Chopra received the Arjuna Award for excellence in sports.

2018: 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Medal and Asian Games Gold Medal

In 2018, Neeraj Chopra won gold at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, also serving as the flag-bearer in the Asian Games.

2018: Uwe Hohn Coaching

In 2018, Uwe Hohn began coaching Neeraj Chopra.

May 2019: Elbow Surgery

On 3 May 2019, Neeraj Chopra underwent a surgery to remove bone spurs in his right elbow in Mumbai.

November 2019: Training in South Africa

After recuperation, Neeraj Chopra travelled to South Africa in November 2019 to train under Klaus Bartonietz.

January 2020: Returns to International Competition

After a 16-month hiatus, Neeraj Chopra returned to international competition in January 2020, registering a throw of 87.86 m in South Africa.

March 2020: Return to India due to COVID-19

In March 2020, Neeraj Chopra was forced to return to India from Turkey due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

December 2020: Training Camp at Kalinga Stadium

From December 2020 to February 2021, Neeraj Chopra attended a training camp at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

2020: 2020 Olympics Gold Medal

At the 2020 Olympics, Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal, becoming the first Asian javelin throw athlete to achieve this feat.

2020: Training for Tokyo Olympics

In preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Neeraj Chopra trained with German coach Uwe Hohn, biomechanics expert Klaus Bartonietz, and physiotherapist Ishaan Marwaha.

2020: Multiple Medallist for India

With his gold medal in the 2020 Olympics, he became the fifth individual multiple medallist for India and first to win a gold and silver combination in 2020.

February 2021: Training Camp at Kalinga Stadium

From December 2020 to February 2021, Neeraj Chopra attended a training camp at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

March 2021: Bettered National Record

On 5 March 2021, Neeraj Chopra bettered his own national record with a throw of 88.07 m.

June 2021: Athletics meet in Karlstad, Sweden

In June 2021, Neeraj Chopra competed in the Athletics meet in Karlstad, Sweden, where he achieved a gold with a sub-par throw of 80.96 m.

June 2021: Travel to Europe for Training

Neeraj Chopra flew to Paris on 5 June 2021 for a mandatory quarantine period before travelling to Portugal for the Meeting Cidade de Lisboa.

June 2021: Consistent Performance

Since June 2021, Neeraj Chopra has shown consistent results, finishing as a winner or runner-up in 24 consecutive competitions.

August 2021: Olympic Gold Medal

In August 2021, Neeraj Chopra made his Olympic debut and won a gold medal in the javelin throw final with a throw of 87.58 m. He became the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal in athletics and the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal.

August 2021: Army Sports Institute Renamed

In August 2021, the Army Sports Institute Stadium in Pune was renamed as the Neeraj Chopra Stadium.

2021: Start of Coaching Under Klaus Bartonietz

In 2021, Neeraj Chopra began coaching under Klaus Bartonietz, leading to multiple victories.

2021: Enrollment at Lovely Professional University

In 2021, Neeraj Chopra enrolled at Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar, Punjab, and then proceeded to complete his Bachelor of Arts degree.

2021: Khel Ratna Award

In 2021, Neeraj Chopra was awarded the Khel Ratna Award, the highest sporting honour of India.

2021: Uwe Hohn Coaching End

In 2021, Uwe Hohn's coaching of Neeraj Chopra concluded.

June 2022: Paavo Nurmi Games Second Place and National Record

In June 2022, at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, Neeraj Chopra placed second with a new personal best of 89.30 m. He also registered another new national record during the event in June 2022.

July 2022: Silver at World Athletics Championships

In July 2022, Neeraj Chopra won the silver medal at the 2022 World Athletics Championships with a throw of 88.13 m. This was India's second ever medal at the World Athletics Championships.

Nov 2022: Switzerland Tourism Ambassador

In Nov 2022, Switzerland Tourism appointed Neeraj Chopra as its Indian ambassador.

2022: 2022 World Championships Silver Medal

At the 2022 edition, Chopra's silver medal made him the second Indian athlete to win a medal at the World Championships.

2022: Padma Shri Award

In 2022, Neeraj Chopra was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour of the nation.

May 2023: Doha Diamond League First Place and World Ranking

In May 2023, Neeraj Chopra clinched top spot in the Doha Diamond League with a throw of 88.67 m. In the same month, he achieved the first position in the men's javelin throw rankings issued by World Athletics for the first time in May 2023.

August 2023: Gold at World Athletics Championships

In August 2023, Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal in the 2023 World Athletics Championships with a throw of 88.17 m. He became the first Asian to win gold in the javelin throw event at the World Championships in August 2023.

October 2023: Asian Games Gold Medal

In October 2023, Neeraj Chopra won his second Asian Games gold medal in the 2022 Asian Games with a season-best throw of 88.88 m.

2023: 2023 World Championships Gold Medal

In 2023, Neeraj Chopra won a gold medal at the World Championships, making him the first Asian to win gold in javelin at the event.

August 2024: Lausanne Diamond League Second Place

On 22 August 2024, he secured second place at the Lausanne Diamond League javelin throw competition, delivering a season-best throw of 89.49 meters.

2024: Multiple Olympic Medals

As of 2024, Neeraj Chopra is one of the five individual multiple medalists for India at the Olympics after his silver medal at the 2024 Olympics.

2024: Qualification for Paris Olympics and Doha Diamond League

In 2024, Chopra achieved the qualification quota for the 2024 Paris Olympics. He started the 2024 season at 2024 Doha Diamond League on 10 May where he finished second and on 15 May, Chopra participated in his first competition in India since becoming the Olympic champion and won gold at the Federation Cup 2024. Ahead of the Paris Olympics, Chopra participated at Paavo Nurmi Games where he won gold with a throw of 85.97 m on 18 June.

2024: Coaching Under Klaus Bartonietz Concludes

In 2024, Neeraj Chopra's coaching under Klaus Bartonietz concluded, after numerous wins and gold medals. Soon after, he joined Jan Železný's training group.