Name: Neeraj Chopra
Date of Birth: December 24, 1997
Discipline: Javelin Throw (Men’s)
Country: India
Competition Dates: 4th & 7th August
Why he’s one to watch:
He’s one of India’s best hopes to end their medal drought in athletics, and with this being his Olympic debut after missing out on Rio 2016, Neeraj Chopra will have his sights set on bringing home India’s first ever medal in Javelin Throw.
He’ll face tough competition from Germany’s Johannes Vetter, a frequent friendly rival and the favourite to win gold, but having beaten his own personal and national record just this year with a 88.07m throw, Neeraj will be confident he can compete with the very best at this year’s games.
Trivia:
- Chopra first leapt into the limelight by winning gold at the 2016 World Junior Championships, becoming the first Indian athlete to win a junior world title in athletics.
- He won gold in Javelin Throw at both the 2018 Asian Games and the 2018 Commonwealth games, also the first Indian athlete to do so.
Neeraj can be found on Instagram. Catch him in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics this summer.
