Panipat farmer’s son 1st Indian to win gold in javelin at CWG
Panipat’s 20-year-old Neeraj Chopra on Saturday became the first Indian javelin thrower to claim a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Neeraj, son of a small farmer of Panipat’s Khandra village, also gave the season’s best performance at 86.47m in the final.
Despite facing several problems, including financial crisis, Neeraj had first created history in 2016 by becoming the first Indian athlete to bag the title of world champion by clinching the gold medal at the U-20 World Championships in Poland.
Neeraj is posted as Subedar in the Indian Army and also pursuing his graduation from Kurukshetra University.
Talking to Hindustan Times, his father Satish Kumar, who owns just one-and-a-half acres of agriculture land, said, “This is a big day for me. My son has now become an inspiration for the youth of the country.”
“We were glued to the television set and watching his performance how he became the first Indian javelin thrower to claim a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games,” he added.
“I am proud of my son and I wish he touches new heights in his career ahead,” said Satish, who is a matriculate.
Satish, along with his three brothers and their families comprising 17 members, lives jointly in a house in the village and Neeraj is the youngest son among the eight children in the family. He has two sisters.
Neeraj’s mother Saroj Bala said, “I knew that he will win and today is a great day for all of us.”
His uncle Bhim Chopra said, “Neeraj is the eldest child of the family. We provided him all facilities despite financial problems. We asked him to join a gym in nearby Matlauda town when he was only 13 years’ old.”
Neeraj started practice of javelin throwing at the Shivaji ground at Panipat in 2012 with the help of his friend Jaiveer. He also excelled in the state-level school sports championship. After that he never looked back and participated in several events. His first coach Naseem Ahmad trained him at the Devi Lal Stadium, Panchkula.
In 2014, Neeraj won silver medal in Asian Championship in Bangkok. In 2014, he equalled the national record of 82.23m in South Asian games.
However, Neeraj could not qualify for the Rio Olympics as he lost the competition as he scored 82.37 m, falling short of the required 83m by just 63cm. But he did not lose hope and 12 days later, he created a new world record by throwing javelin at a distance of 86.48m.
20YEAROLD IS SUBEDAR IN ARMY AND ALSO PURSUING HIS GRADUATION FROM KURUKSHETRA VARSITY