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The youngster Neeraj Chopra's rise to prominence continued this Tuesday (July 17), as he claimed the Gold medal at the Sotteville Athletics Meet in France.
Chopra has been one of India's finest prospects for the past few years. The youngster took up a sport few have treaded before in India, and has been delivering medals ever since. The 20-year-old Panipat resident first appeared on the international stage at the World Youth Championships in Donetsk, Ukraine. Chopra finished nineteenth on that occasion.
However, Chopra really rose to prominence after he won the gold medal at the South Asian Games in Guwahati. A flurry of medals followed, with Chopra claiming three more gold medals in under two years at the World U20 Championships, Asian Championships, and the Commonwealth Games. The youngster also won a Silver at the Asian Junior Championships in Ho Chih Min City, Vietnam.
The young Javelin-thrower is coached by one of the greatest Javelin throwers of all time, Uwe Hohn. Under his guidance, Chopra also broke the National Record at Doha, when his Javelin landed at the 87.43 m mark.
On Tuesday, July 17, Chopra once again proved that he is not only the best Javelin thrower in India but one of the best in the entire world. The youngster threw his Javelin to the 85.17 m mark, which was enough to grant him the Gold medal. Chopra's throw was almost 4 m better than his closest opponent, Moldova's Adrian Mardare, who finished second. Lithuania's Edin Matusevicius finished third.
Congratulations poured in from left, right, and centre, as many big personalities took to Twitter to congratulate the youngster on his achievement.
Although Chopra couldn't venture closer to his National Record mark, the Gold medal would just boost his confidence ahead of the upcoming Asian Games, and furthermore, the Olympics.
Can Chopra keep up his form and deliver medals at the Asian Games and the Olympics? Do let us know in the comments below.
