He is tall, handsome and successful. Now aged 25, Neeraj Chopra, India’s ace javelin thrower and newly crowned world champion, has emerged as the man with the Midas touch. His latest acquisition of gold is the medal he bagged at the World Athletics championship in Hungary, on Sunday with a massive throw of 88.17 metres. Neeraj now has more gold medals in his trophy cupboard than any other sportsman in the history of Indian sports.
He has won gold medals at the Olympic Games, World championship, world Diamond League, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Athletic championships, South Asian championships and World junior championships. All of these events are prestigious ones and each victory was achieved with tremendous hard work and untiring zeal.
An obese boy
Looking at Neeraj today, it is difficult to believe that just 12 years ago he was an unfit and obese boy who was forced by his father to join a gym in order to lose weight and get fit. When he was 13 years of age, his weight problem was created by a great love for the wrong type of food. As a boy he loved to steal mangoes from his neighbour’s trees and eat them. He also indulged himself whenever his doting grandmother fed him with cream and choorma – a dish that was loaded with calories.
Noticing that the boy was getting obese day by day, his father, a hard working farmer from Khandra village, got him enrolled in a gym and threatened him with dire consequences if he did not attend the fitness classes regularly. That is how Neeraj Chopra’s battle with weight began.
Panipat – the site of Neeraj’s victory
The city of Panipat is well known in Indian history. It was the scene of three famous battles. In 1526 it was here that Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi and established Moghul rule in India. In 1556 came the second Battle of Panipat in which Emperor Akbar defeated Hemchandra Vikramaditya better known as Hemu. Then in 1761 came the third Battle of Panipat in which Ahmed Shah Durrani routed the Maratha Confederacy. It was also in this same historic site that our hero Neeraj Chopra won his battle against his own flabby body.
Once he began attending the gym in Panipat he became addicted to exercise. Day after day he worked out with total dedication and he cut out all the wrong foods. With determination he turned his eyes away from his grandmother’s homemade sweets. Gradually the excess kilos began to peel off his body and he acquired a sculpted physique. His friends who used to tease him about his chubby appearance now began to envy his lean and muscular figure.
Talent bursts forth
It was also at this time that he began showing a talent for javelin throwing. It all started with a few throws just for fun along with his friends. Very soon he found that he could throw the spear farther than any of his friends. Some coaches observed him from a distance and realised that he had potential.
Two of them, namely Akshay Choudhary and Naseem Ahmed, took him under their wings and began fine tuning his technique and skills. Understanding the aerodynamic principles behind the javelin throw cannot come from books but have to be learnt through constant practice. Hundreds of throws have to be made before a thrower can gain mastery over the technique and principles that lie behind the flight of the javelin.
Luckily for Neeraj, nature seemed to have given him a mind and body which were perfectly suited for javelin throwing. Not only did he develop the strength and agility for throwing the spear to huge distances but his mind also grasped the theories that were behind the effortless flight of the javelin. His coaches did not have to work too hard on him. It all came naturally to Neeraj.
In 2014, he won a silver medal at the Youth Olympics and his first gold medal at the world level in 2016 at the World Under 20 championships. Once he tasted success and gained confidence there was no looking back.
More than a great athlete
But Neeraj is more than just a successful athlete. As a person he has an independent and fearless mind. Where sportsmanship is concerned he provides an outstanding example that others can follow. As a soldier of the Indian army, he has been honoured with a number of awards too. He is the recipient of the Vishisht Seva medal, Param Vishisht Seva medal from the Indian army and also the Padma Shri and the 75th Independence Anniversary award from the government of India. In every way Neeraj is a sportsman and a human being that all of India can be proud of.
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