Neeraj Chopra is an Indian track and field athlete, who competes in the javelin throw. He represented India at the 2018 Asian Games where he won a gold medal, setting the national record of 88.06 m, and at the 2018 Commonwealth Games where he also clinched the gold medal. He was the 2016 IAAF World U20 champion and set the world junior record of 86.48 m at the U20 championships. Chopra was selected as the flag-bearer at the opening ceremony for India at the 2018 Asian Games, which marked his first Asian Games appearance. He also represents India at the IAAF Diamond League. After winning back-to-back CWG and Asian Games Gold medals in 2018, Chopra suffered an injury to his right elbow and had to undergo surgery in May 2019 causing him to miss the entire 2019 season. After undergoing an extensive rehabilitation process, Chopra returned to competitive action in style by throwing 87.86m at the ACNE League meeting in Potchefstroom, South Africa in January 2020. The throw, his second best throw ever, also saw him achieve the qualifying standard for Tokyo 2020 and qualify for his first ever Olympic Games. He is commercially managed and represented by
Neeraj won a gold medal at the 2016 South Asian Games with a throw of 82.23 m, where he equalled the Indian national record. He won a gold medal in 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. He also set a world junior record. Despite these performances, he failed to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics as the cut off date was 11 July. Neeraj won another gold medal in Asian Athletic championships 2017 with a throw of 85.23 meters. Neeraj Chopra registered a season best effort of 86.47 meters in men's javelin throw at 2018 Commonwealth Games. With that, Chopra not only joined an elite list of Indian athletes to win a gold medal on their Commonwealth Games debut, but also became the first Indian to triumph in Javelin Throw at CWG. In May 2018, he again broke the national record at the Doha Diamond League with a throw of 87.43 meters. He is currently being coached by German bio-mechanics expert Klaus Bartonietz. Previously, he has been coached by Gary Calvert, Werner Daniels and Uwe Hohn. On 27 August 2018, Neeraj threw a distance of 88.06 m to win gold in the Men's javelin throw at the 2018 Asian Games and set a new Indian national record, bettering his own previous record.
