Neeraj Chopra: The World Athletics Championship 2023 finally came to an end on August 27, 2023. Neeraj Chopra, “The Pride of India,” became India’s first-ever gold medalist at the World Athletics Championship.
History being created for Indian athletics, when Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal in the men’s javelin throw event at the World Athletics Championships held in Budapest, Hungary. The ‘golden boy of Indian athletics’ etched his name in history by becoming the first-ever Indian athlete to secure a gold medal at this prestigious championship. Displaying exceptional prowess. He recorded a stellar throw of 88.17 meters during his second attempt, solidifying his dominance throughout the event.
The 2023 World Athletics Championships, the nineteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships, were held from 19 to 27 August 2023 at the National Athletics Centre, in Budapest, Hungary.
Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem was very close and won the silver medal managed a commendable throw of 87.82 meters.
The third spot was secured by Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, who showcased his prowess with a best throw of 86.67 meters.
Neeraj Chopra
Neeraj Chopra is an Indian track and field athlete, who is the reigning Olympic champion, World champion and the Diamond League champion in the javelin throw.
As the news of Neeraj’s historic victory spread, congratulatory messages poured in from all corners. Among those celebrating was India’s Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Anurag Thakur, who hailed Neeraj’s feat as a watershed moment in Indian sporting history. He took to social media to express his pride and appreciation for the athlete’s remarkable achievement.
The Indian Army also joined the chorus of well-wishers, lauding Neeraj’s accomplishment. Recognizing his achievement as a monumental one, the Indian Army shared their congratulations on various social media platforms. He is also a Junior Commissioned Officer, Subedar (JCO) in the Indian Army.
Neeraj’s gold medal not only adds a glittering achievement to his personal record but also enriches India’s medal tally at the World Athletics Championships. This victory marks his second medal at the Championships, having previously secured a silver medal in the World Athletics Championships 2022 (The 2022 World Athletics Championships was the eighteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships. It was held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, United States, from July 15–24, 2022).
Neeraj Chopra was overweight as a kid. He was around 90kgs at 11. To keep him active, Satish Kumar enrolled him in a gym in the nearby town of Madlauda. However, being the youngest at the gym, Neeraj Chopra often had to settle for equipment others didn’t want and didn’t quite enjoy the routine.
His parents were supportive when he told them about it and a hunt for an alternative physical activity began. It was during this time, that a visit to Panipat’s Shivaji Stadium with his father changed Neeraj Chopra’s life.
Chopra, who wasn’t too fond of running due to his weight, saw some heavy men throwing javelins there and wanted to pursue the sport. And thus, the journey began.
As Neeraj Chopra got serious about pursuing the sport full-time, Satish Kumar knew that there would be financial challenges. But Satish ensured he left no stone unturned to meet Chopra’s training and dietary requirements.
“We come from a farmer’s background. A farmer never has enough to live on his own accord. I believe that families, who have lived with lack of amenities, realise the importance of basic amenities and have the courage to live their dreams and achieve something in life,” Satish Kumar told ANI during an interview.
2020 Tokyo Olympics, GOLD MEDAL
Despite his young age, Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has already etched his name in the history books by becoming the first and only track and field athlete from the country to win an Olympic medal – that too a gold.
Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal at Tokyo 2020 was also India’s second individual Olympic gold medal after shooter Abhinav Bindra’s 10m air rifle glory at Beijing 2008. While his first throw measuring 87.03m put him on the perch, Neeraj Chopra consolidated his spot with an 87.58m second attempt – a throw that eventually proved enough to win him the historic gold medal.
The win was the culmination of a remarkable, yet short, journey which began with a 13-year-old obese kid taking up sports to lose weight and gain confidence.
Neeraj Chopra soon took to javelin throw after watching the sport at the Shivaji Stadium in Panipat. With the ability to throw over 40m with no training, his talent for the discipline was obvious.
Indian javelin thrower Jaiveer Choudhary recognised his potential and took Neeraj Chopra under his wings. With proper coaching, there was no turning back for the Haryana lad.
Neeraj Chopra dominated the national scene at the youth level and won multiple international accolades. He shot to fame after winning the gold medal at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
His winning throw of 86.48m at Poland still stands as the under-20 javelin throw record and made him the first Indian track and field athlete to become a world champion at any level and hold a world record.
With the qualifying cut off for Rio 2016 men’s javelin throw set at 83.00m, the attempt would also have qualified Neeraj Chopra for his maiden Olympics but unfortunately, it came a week after the qualification window had shut. Before that, injuries had hampered Neeraj Chopra’s Rio qualification campaign.
Neeraj Chopra continued shining on the international stage. He became the Asian champion in 2017 before winning gold at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and the Jakarta 2018 Asian Games.
Neeraj Chopra missed the 2019 world championships due to an elbow injury, which required surgery and was sidelined for 16 months. The Indian, however, bounced back immediately after his return to qualify for Tokyo 2020 at a meet in Potchefstroom, South Africa, in January 2020.
Just a year after his Tokyo triumph, Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to win a silver medal at the World Athletics Championships 2023. At Oregon 2022, Neeraj Chopra logged a best effort of 88.31m to finish behind reigning champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, who managed a 90.54m throw to defend his crown.
World Athletics Championship 2023 Prize Money
Any athlete who sets a world record that is considered an improvement and not equal to the previous record will be eligible for a separate reward of $100,000 (not factored in below). The last two athletes to receive this special award for their world records were USA’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone for the 400-meter race and Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis for the pole vault last year in Oregon.
Sponsors like Japanese electronics company TDK, World Athletics’ Inside Track online hub program and new partner NTN help make these rewards possible.
Here’s the full payouts at the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships totaling $8,498,000 USD.
Individual event prize money
- Gold: US $70,000
- Silver: US $35,000
- Bronze: US $22,000
- Fourth place: US $16,000
- Fifth place: US $11,000
- Sixth place: US $7000
- Seventh place: US $6000
- Eighth place: US $5000
Relays prize money (per team)
- Gold: US $80,000
- Silver: US $40,000
- Bronze: US $20,000
- Fourth place: US $16,000
- Fifth place: USD $12,000
- Sixth place: US $8000
- Seventh place: US $6000
- Eighth place: US $4000
The Indian javelin thrower’s medal was India’s second-ever at the worlds after long jumper Anju Bobby George’s bronze medal at the 2003 Paris world championships.
Chopra, a 2018 Arjuna awardee, has also been in possession the Indian national record in men’s javelin throw since 2016 and has bettered his own marks consistently. Neeraj Chopra’s standing national record is 89.94m, achieved at the Stockholm Diamond League 2022.
When he’s not competing, Neeraj Chopra serves as a commissioned officer in the Indian Army.
Even though he already possesses a rank in the armed forces, the government of Haryana has offered him a monetary award of Rs. 6 crores in addition to a position in the class I category of the government after the Tokyo Olympics.
More of such accolades are covered under Neeraj Chopra news including:
- The government of Punjab has offered a monetary incentive of two crores of rupees.
- The governing body of cricket in India (BCCI) has announced monetary awards for all of the medal winners, one of which is a cash prize of one crore rupees for Neeraj.
- The cabinet of Manipur has also shown its support by offering a financial incentive of one crore rupees.
- The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team from the Indian Premier League (IPL) has promised Neeraj a financial award of Rs 1 crore and will produce a commemorative jersey with the number 8758 to honour the throw distance that earned him the gold medal.
- Neeraj will get a gift of an SUV model XUV 700 from the successful entrepreneur Anand Mahindra.
- The Indian airline IndiGo has decided to cover all of Neeraj’s travel expenses for the next twelve months.
- The Indian online learning app BYJUs has awarded Neeraj Chopra a monetary reward of two hundred million rupees (Rs. 2 crores).
Early and Personal Life
| Neeraj Chopra : Early and Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 24 December 1997 (age 25) |
| Place Of Birth | Khandra, Panipat, Haryana, India |
| Family | 19 members ( included his three uncles, Surinder, Bhim and Sultan ) |
| Father | Satish Kumar ( Farmer ) |
| Mother | Saroj Devi ( Homemaker ) |
| Sister | 2 (Sangeeta and Sarita) |
| School | BVN Public School |
| Graduation | Dayanand Anglo-Vedic College in Chandigarh |
| Bachelor of Arts | Bachelor of Arts from Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar, Punjab. |
| Profession | Indian Athelete ( Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills ). Javelin Throw |
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 86 kg (190 lb) |
Neeraj Chopra’s Net Worth/Income
It was only a matter of time before Neeraj became the pride of the nation. Once he had pocketed that coveted Olympic gold medal he was the nation’s favorite son. Cash prizes and gifts started flowing in from all parts of the country and Neeraj was not just a sportsperson now he had also become an actor as he appeared in a handful of TV advertisements as well. Both these activities contributed to boosting or rather building Neeraj Chopra net worth in a short period.
Neeraj’s worth today is estimated to be 4.5 million dollars or 37 crores in Indian rupees. Almost 17 crores worth of cash prizes were received by Neeraj Chopra. Haryana government gave him 6 crore rupees, Punjab government gave 2 crores, Railways gifted him 3 crores, BCCI and Manipur government gave him 1 crore each, Indian Olympic Association gave him 75 lakhs and IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings gave him a further 1 crore rupees on winning the Olympic medal.
In addition, Byju’s also gave him 2 crores, Anand Mahindra also gifted him an XUV700, Haryana Government gave him a grade 1 government job and Indigo announced that he will be getting tickets free for a year.
Neeraj has signed endorsement contracts with companies like Muscle Blaze, Mobil India, Gatorade, Nike, Gillette, JSW Sports, Tata AIA Life Insurance, BYJU’s, a pharmaceutical brand and more.
Awards & Accolades – Professional Career
| Awards & Accolades – Professional Career | |||||
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result |
| 2013 | World U18 Championships | Donetsk, Ukraine | 19th (q) | Javelin throw (700 g) | 66.75 m |
| 2015 | Asian Championships | Wuhan, China | 9th | Javelin throw | 70.50 m |
|
2016
|
South Asian Games | Guwahati, India | 1 | Javelin throw | 82.23 m |
| Asian U20 Championships | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | 2 | Javelin throw | 77.60 m | |
| World U20 Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 1 | Javelin throw | 86.48 m WU20R | |
|
2017
|
Asian Championships | Bhubaneswar, India | 1 | Javelin throw | 85.23 m |
| World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 15th (q) | Javelin throw | 82.26 m | |
|
2018
|
Commonwealth Games | Gold Coast, Australia | 1 | Javelin throw | 86.47 m |
| Asian Games | Jakarta, Indonesia | 1 | Javelin throw | 88.06 m | |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | Javelin throw | 87.58 m |
| 2022 | World Athletic Championships | Eugene, OR, United States | 2 | Javelin throw | 88.13 m |
| 2023 | World Athletic Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 1 | Javelin throw | 88.17 |
National Awards by Government of India
| National Awards by Government of India & other accolades | |
| 2018 | Arjuna Awards ( 2nd Highest sporting honour of India ) |
| 2020 | Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) – 2020 Republic Day honours |
| 2021 | Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award – 2021 (highest sporting honour of India) |
| 2022 | Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) – 2022 Republic Day honours |
| 2022 | Padma Shri (fourth highest civilian honour) – 2022 Republic Day honours |
| 2021 | The Times of India TOISA Sportsperson of the Year |
| 2021 | Army Sports Institute (ASI) stadium of Pune cantonment renamed “Neeraj Chopra Stadium” by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 27 August 2021 |
| Neeraj Chopra schedule for 2023 athletics season | ||
| Date | Event | Country |
| May 5 | Doha Diamond League | Qatar |
| June 30 | Lausanne Diamond League | Switzerland |
| August 19-27 ( Won Gold ) | World Athletics Championships | Hungary |
| September 23-October 8 | Asian Games | China |
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