Neeraj Chopra's 26th birthday: An epitome of consistency, hunger to succeed; Gol

The Olympic gold medalist and World Champion Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will turn 26 on Sunday Over the last five years or so this young boy from Haryana blessed with a strong arm and hunger to succeed has touched the biggest peaks in athletics About to enter his late 20s he is already possibly the greatest Indian athlete everFollowing a World Junior Championship gold and Asian Championship silver in 2016 Neeraj graduated to the senior level and celebrated it in style with a gold medal in Asian championships in 2017The athlete had a great 2018 as well making an impact at the continental and Commonwealth level He won a gold in the javelin throw in the Asian Games in Jakarta With a throw of 8806 m he made a mark at continental level giving signs of a fine future He also secured a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games 2018 with a throw of 8647 mBut the year 2021 was when everything changed for Neeraj and suddenly he had become Indias golden boy He captured an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo with the best throw of 8758 m With this he became the firstever Indian to win an athletics gold This victory made him a sensation in the country Love and support from fans cricketers politicians and Bollywood celebrities made his victory even grander Suddenly Neeraj was the talking point all over India being featured on social media campaigns advertisements shows etc People wondered what he would do nextIn the next few coming months Neeraj showed that though he had attained the top prize in athletics there was still plenty for him to prove and winNeeraj Chopra birthday Javelin superstars Year 2022 recap2022 was an amazing year for Neeraj though he missed out on Commonwealth Games 2022 due to an injuryIn June he made a new national record and finished with a silver medal with a throw of 8930 metres at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland bettering his own previous national record of 8807 meters which he had set in Patiala in March last yearIn June again he gave another sterling performance as he clinched gold in the 2022 Kuortane Games in Finland Neeraj threw 8669 m to clinch the top prize in tricky and wet conditionsHe also held the male javelin national record thanks to a throw in the Stockholm Diamond League that measured 8994 metres with which he broke his own record He clinched a silver medal at the prestigious Diamond League meet in Stockholm and broke his own previous recordAlso ReadToo many cooks spoil the brothAt the World Athletics Championships in July Neeraj Chopra made history by becoming only the second Indian and the first male track and field athlete to take home a medal He finished second and won the silver medal realising his aim of winning a World medal with a throw of 8813 metres Anju Bobby George won a bronze medal for India in the long jump competition before NeerajIn September Chopra made history by becoming the firstever Indian to win the prestigious Diamond League trophy a toptier athletics competition achieving the best throw of 8844 m to clinch one of the biggest wins of his careerNeeraj Chopra birthday Onwards and upwardsMore accomplishments awaited Neeraj next yearNeeraj clinched Indias firstever gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest back in August Neeraj recorded his best throw of 8817 m in his second attempt and managed to keep his lead intact till the very end to win gold at BudapestNeeraj lived up to expectations to win gold at the Asian Games and his compatriot Kishore Kumar Jena took home a silver medal as Indian athletes put up a powerpacked performance at the Hangzhou Olympic Stadium on October 4 Neeraj defended his title and scripted history at the continental event The event was watched eagerly on TV screens across the country as the two Indians stole the limelightThere was a necktoneck competition between two Indian athletes and Neeraj prevailed with his seasons best throw of 8888 metresWith a gold medal in the Asian Games Olympics Commonwealth Games and World Athletics Championships and a Diamond League title Chopra has won every top prize in the sport He has set an unprecedented example with his consistency and hunger for goldWith agency inputs