Neeraj Chopra

Career beginnings (2010–2012)

In 2010, Neeraj Chopra tested his skills at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) center in Panipat. Noticing his natural ability to throw 40 meters without formal training, javelin thrower Jaiveer Singh began coaching him. Under Singh’s guidance, he learned the basics and trained alongside other athletes in Jalandhar. After securing third place in the district championships, he convinced his family to allow him to train at the SAI center.

A year later, at 13, Chopra moved to the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula, one of Haryana’s few facilities with a synthetic runway. With no dedicated javelin coach available, he trained under running coach Naseem Ahmad. During this time, he and fellow thrower Parminder Singh studied videos of Jan Železný to refine their technique. Gradually improving his range from 55 meters, he made his mark at the 2012 National Junior Athletics Championships in Lucknow, winning gold with a junior national record throw of 68.40 meters.

Introduction at International levels (2013–2016)

Neeraj Chopra made his international debut in 2013 at the World Youth Championships in Donetsk, Ukraine, finishing 19th with a best throw of 66.75m. The following year, he won his first international medal, a silver at the Youth Olympics Qualification in Bangkok. At the 2014 senior nationals, he crossed the 70m mark for the first time.

In 2015, Chopra set a world junior record at the All India Inter-University Athletics meet with a throw of 81.04m, his first over 80m. He placed fifth at the National Games and ninth at the Asian Athletics Championships. His strong performances earned him a spot at the national training camp in Patiala in early 2016, which he described as a turning point due to improved facilities and coaching under Kashinath Naik.

At the 2016 South Asian Games, Chopra won gold with a personal best of 82.23m. He later began training under Australian coach Gary Calvert. Despite suffering a back injury in April, he bounced back in July to win gold at the IAAF World U20 Championships in Poland, setting a world junior record of 86.48m. However, he missed Olympic qualification as the cut-off date had passed. In September 2016, he moved to the SAI center in Bangalore and was formally inducted as a Junior Commissioned Officer in the Indian Army in December.

Chopra continued his dominance in 2017, securing gold at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar with a throw of 85.23m.

Asian and Commonwealth champion (2017–2020)

In the 2017 World Championships, Neeraj Chopra finished 15th with a best throw of 82.26m. Later that year, he sustained a groin injury during the Zürich Weltklasse, forcing him to withdraw from competition for the rest of the year. During recovery, he trained at the Joint Services Wing sports institute in Vijayanagar before heading to Germany in November to work with coach Werner Daniels, focusing on strength training and refining his throwing technique.

Chopra had a stellar 2018 season, winning gold at the Commonwealth Games with a season-best throw of 86.47m, becoming the first Indian to win a javelin throw title at the event. In May, he set a new national record with a throw of 87.43m at the Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix. At the 2018 Asian Games, where he was India’s flag-bearer, he secured gold with a record-breaking throw of 88.06m, marking India’s first javelin throw gold at the Games.

That year, he was the only track and field athlete recommended for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award and received the Arjuna Award in September. In recognition of his achievements, the Indian Army promoted him to subedar in November. Preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he trained under German coach Uwe Hohn, biomechanics expert Klaus Bartonietz, and physiotherapist Ishaan Marwaha, with Hohn working on refining his throwing technique.

Injury and comeback (2019–2020)

Neeraj Chopra missed the 2019 World Championships in Doha due to an elbow injury, undergoing surgery on 3 May 2019 in Mumbai. After rehabilitation in Patiala and Vijayanagar, he resumed training in South Africa under coach Klaus Bartonietz. Following a 16-month break, he made his international comeback in January 2020, securing an Olympic qualification with a throw of 87.86m in Potchefstroom, South Africa.

His training was interrupted in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing him to return to India. He spent most of the year training in Patiala and later attended a training camp in Bhubaneswar. On 5 March 2021, he set a new national record with a throw of 88.07m, ranking third globally for the season. He faced delays in securing a visa for overseas training but, with government intervention, traveled to Portugal in June 2021 to compete, winning gold with a throw of 83.18m.

Chopra continued his European stint, competing in Sweden and Finland. He won gold at the Karlstad meet with a throw of 80.96m and bronze in Finland with 86.79m. He secured another gold at the Kuortane Games with a throw of 86.69m but struggled with javelin availability. Due to fatigue, he withdrew from a competition in Lucerne and faced visa issues for the Diamond League in Gateshead, choosing to continue training in Sweden instead.

Tokyo Olympics, World and Diamond League champion (2021–2024)

On 4 August 2021, Neeraj Chopra made his Olympic debut in Tokyo, topping his qualifying group with a throw of 86.65m. In the final on 7 August, he won the gold medal with an 87.58m throw, becoming the first Indian to win an Olympic gold in athletics and the first Asian to achieve this feat in javelin. His victory made him the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold after Abhinav Bindra and the youngest-ever Indian Olympic gold medalist. His achievement helped India secure its best-ever finish at the Olympics, and he dedicated his win to Indian sprint legends Milkha Singh and P.T. Usha. Following his victory, he reached world number two in men’s javelin throw.

In June 2022, Chopra set a new personal best and national record with an 89.30m throw at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland. The following month, he secured silver at the 2022 World Athletics Championships with an 88.13m throw, becoming India’s second-ever medalist at the event. In the 2022 Diamond League, he further improved his national record to 89.94m in Stockholm and later won the final in Zürich with 88.44m, becoming the first Indian Diamond League champion.

In May 2023, Chopra topped the Doha Diamond League with an 88.67m throw and reached world number one in men’s javelin rankings. He went on to win gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championships with an 88.17m throw, becoming the first Asian to claim the title in javelin. In October 2023, he won his second Asian Games gold at the 2022 Asian Games with a season-best throw of 88.88m.

Paris Olympics and Diamond League (2024–present)

Neeraj Chopra qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics by meeting the Olympic Qualifying Standard (OQS) at the Asian Games. He began his 2024 season at the Doha Diamond League on 10 May, finishing second with a throw of 88.36m, just 2cm behind Czech athlete Jakub Vadlejch. On 15 May, he competed in India for the first time since becoming Olympic champion, winning gold at the Federation Cup with an 82.27m throw. Ahead of the Paris Olympics, he secured gold at the Paavo Nurmi Games with an 85.97m throw on 18 June.

At the Paris Olympics, Chopra recorded a season-best 89.34m throw in the qualification round, surpassing the direct qualification standard of 84m. In the final, he registered an 89.45m throw on his second attempt, securing a silver medal behind Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who won gold with a 92.97m throw. With this, Chopra became the fifth individual Indian multiple Olympic medalist and the first to achieve a gold and silver combination.

On 22 August 2024, he finished second at the Lausanne Diamond League javelin event, delivering a season-best throw of 89.49m.

Coaching history

Neeraj Chopra has trained under multiple coaches throughout his career. Jaiveer Singh was his first coach from 2010 to 2011, followed by Naseem Ahmed, who trained him from 2011 to 2016. In 2016, he briefly trained under Kashinath Naik before working with Gary Calvert from 2016 to 2017. From 2018 to 2021, he was coached by Uwe Hohn.

Under Klaus Bartonietz, who coached him from 2021 to 2024, Chopra achieved multiple wins, titles, and gold medals. After 2024, he joined Jan Železný’s training group.

Performance record

Diamond League

Other wins

• Sotteville Athletics Meet (2018)
• Savo Games (2018)
• Meeting Cidade de Lisboa (2021)
• Folksam Grand Prix (2021)
• Kuortane Games (2022)
• Paavo Nurmi Games (2024)

Seasonal bests