Odisha turned lucky for Neeraj Chopra! Know the story behind his historic win in Olympics

Bhubaneswar: Golden boy Neeraj Chopra has won India’s first-ever track and field medal at the Olympics with a gold in Men’s Javelin. The whole country is excited for him today. There is a wave of happiness in everyone’s mind as it is a matter of great pride for India.

The star athlete from Panipat district in Haryana created history after he clinched the gold in javelin throw with an attempt of 87.58 metres, becoming only the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra to win an individual gold medal at the Olympics.

People from all walks of life, including former and current sportspersons and politicians, congratulated Neeraj Chopra for getting the gold medal for India after 100 years.

But do you know how this golden boy entered the world of athletes? Neeraj was born on December 24, 1997 to a peasant family in Khandra village near Panipat in Haryana. Inspired by his father, Satish Kumar, and mother, Saroj Devi, he became interested in sports.

As a child, Neeraj Chopra had a weakness for sports. He showed interest in the javelin throw after seeing four young men from the village practicing the javelin throw in the field. He went on to win a gold medal at the 2014 World U-20 Championships. Thereafter, he got an appointment from the Indian Navy. He was popularly known as Naib Subedar Neeraj Chopra.

Odisha turned lucky for Neeraj Chopra:

Odisha turned lucky for Neeraj Chopra to win the gold medal in Olympics. Neeraj won the gold at the Kalinga Stadium in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar by participating in the Asian Championships in 2017. Since then, his success journey has continued.

He won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games in 2018, following which he was conferred with the Arjuna Award.

The golden boy of India continues to win gold in every event for his relentless efforts. Not only that, Neeraj came to Odisha in February this year and practiced for the Olympics at Kalinga Stadium and KIIT University. By then, he had praised the world class infrastructure, facilities at the stadium complex and support extended by the Odisha government and its hospitality. “Had a great time training at the Kalinga Stadium here in Bhubaneswar. Now looking forward to getting some competition experience under the belt,” he had tweeted on February 13 this year. With #tokyoolympics and #Roadtotokyo.

Had a great time training at the Kalinga Stadium here in Bhubaneswar. Now looking forward to getting some competition experience under the belt. #tokyoolympics #Roadtotokyo @jswsports pic.twitter.com/1aG6qJHH5B

— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) February 13, 2021

Meanwhile, the Sports Department of Odisha government also said that it is proud to have hosted the preparatory camp for the Olympics at Kalinga Stadium, for Neeraj and his fellow javelin mates.

Earlier in 2017, Neeraj had won Gold at the Asian Athletics Championship at Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneswar. #KalingaConnection pic.twitter.com/iMcBxxFQ9x

— Odisha Sports (@sports_odisha) August 7, 2021