Neeraj Chopra's win at World Athletics Championship: Achievements so far

While Neeraj Chopra has defeated biggies like Johannes Vetter, Julius Yego, and Arshad Nadeem at various events, Chopra still chases his first 90-metre throw, unlike these rivals

Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has become the world champion, recording an impressive throw of 88.17 metres at the World Athletics Championships final event in Budapest. Chopra outperformed Arshad Nadeem, the Pakistani competitor, who claimed the second spot on the medals tally with a commendable 87.2-metre throw.

Showing exceptional form and composure, Chopra registered his winning throw of 88.17 metres on his second attempt. With this gold medal at the World Athletics Championships, the 25-year-old has made history as the first Indian to win gold in this prestigious event in the Javelin throw.

The other Indian participants, Kishore Jena and DP Manu, also performed admirably, registering throws of 84.77 and 84.14 metres and finishing in fifth and sixth places on the points tally, respectively.

 

Why is Neeraj Chopra's achievement significant?

Neeraj Chopra's Olympic gold drew significant attention as it marked India's first individual gold in a track and field event at the Olympics. Prior to this, Abhinav Bindra had secured India's first individual Olympic gold in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics, but it was in shooting, not a track and field event.

What are track and field events?

Track and field events include running, jumping, and throwing. These activities are viewed as natural and universal expressions of human athletic prowess and rank among the world's oldest sports.

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Why are Neeraj Chopra and Abhinav Bindra special?

India has a total of 10 Olympic gold medals, eight of which were secured by the Men's Field Hockey Team. Only two have been won by individuals: one by Abhinav Bindra in shooting at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the other by Neeraj Chopra in men's Javelin throw at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Notably, Chopra and Bindra are the only Indian athletes to have won both Olympic and World Championships titles. Bindra clinched the World Championships title at 23 and his Olympic gold at 25.

What has Neeraj Chopra achieved so far?

Neeraj Chopra has now claimed every major title available in his sport. In addition to his World Championships gold, he has secured gold at the Asian Games in 2018 and the Commonwealth Games in the same year. He has also won four individual Diamond League Meeting titles (two each in 2022 and 2023) and took home the Diamond League Champion's trophy last year.

Though Chopra has bested prominent names such as Johannes Vetter, Thomas Rohler, Julius Yego, and Arshad Nadeem in various competitions, he has yet to record a throw exceeding 90 metres, a feat already achieved by these rivals.

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