Neeraj Chopra World Athletics Championships: people who start sports to lose weight Neeraj Chopra The journey from a village in Haryana to registering his name among the biggest stars of Indian sports has been so glorious that he is writing a new victory saga at every step. Two years ago in Tokyo, he put India’s first yellow medal in the Olympic track and field event. At that time, he was only 23 years old and became the second Indian after the great shooter Abhinav Bindra to win gold in an individual event at the Olympics.
India, which has been dreaming of a medal in athletics for a long time, got a shining star overnight. The whole country got drowned in the glare of his success and this process continues unabated. Bindra won the gold medal in the 10 meter air rifle event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Earlier, the Indian hockey team had put eight gold in India’s bag.
Now, by winning gold at the World Championship in Budapest on Sunday, Chopra has given Indians another chance to be proud. The past week has been historic for India with Chopra becoming world champion after the success of Chandrayaan 3, the runner-up in the FIDE Chess World Cup, R Praggnanandhaa.
Chopra has now become the second Indian after Bindra to win the Olympic and World titles at the same time. Bindra won the world championship at the age of 23 and the Olympic gold at the age of 25. Chopra can touch many new heights if he maintains his fitness level. He can play at least two Olympics and two World Championships.
Chopra, who first shone at the world level by winning the World Junior Championship 2016, had registered his name in the history of Indian sports by winning gold in Tokyo. The way the whole country showered him with affection was unprecedented. Till now this was seen only for the cricketers. After Tokyo, he had to attend countless awards ceremonies, which made him gain weight and he could not practice due to so many events. But then he vowed not to repeat it.
Chopra became the most searched Indian celebrity online after the Tokyo Olympics. Even above Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. There was a queue of sponsors at his door. His followers on Twitter and Instagram kept on increasing. In December last year, he overtook sprinter Usain Bolt to become the most written athlete in the world. 812 articles have been published under his name.
Consistency in performance has been the key to his success since the Tokyo Olympics. In the last two years, he has thrown a throw above 86 meters in every tournament. In June last year, he finished second in the Stockholm Diamond League with a throw of 89.94 metres.
Neerchopra may not be as eloquent as Bindra, but he charms everyone with his humility. He does not disappoint those who ask for selfies or autographs in India and abroad. He speaks from the heart and has no hesitation in being a Hindi speaker.
Very mischievous as a child, Chopra grew up in a joint family and gained weight due to pampering. On the insistence of the family, he started playing to lose weight. His uncle would take him to the Shivaji Stadium in Panipat. He doesn’t enjoy running but fell in love with javelin throw. He thought of trying his hand at it and the rest is history which children will probably read in school books in future.