Star Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra scripted history once again on early Saturday morning when he became the first Indian to win a gold medal at a Diamond League meet. He finished at the top at the Lausanne Diamond League by registering a best throw of 89.08m throw.

This was the second time in the ongoing year for Chopra to participate in a Diamond League. Earlier this year, he finished second at the Stockholm Diamond League and won the silver medal with a 85.18m throw.

Who is Neeraj Chopra?

An athlete and Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) in the Indian Army, Neeraj Chopra hails from Panipat, Haryana. He is the current national record holder for javelin throw. 

Chopra first came onto the big picture in 2016. He won gold in the 2016 South Asian Games. He had registered an 82.23m throw, a then-national record. In the same year, he went on to set a new world junior record by winning the IAAF World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

Neeraj Chopra, 23, in 2017, clinched a gold at the Asian Athletic Championships with an 85.23m throw. In 2018, he won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games with a throw of 86.57m – best in the season. 

Chopra registered an 88.06 m throw at the 2018 Asian Games – a new national record. He won gold. He began the event as the flag-bearer at the opening ceremony and ended it with the highest prize.

The 23-year-old  suffered a major shoulder injury in 2019 and had to undergo surgery in May that year. He was out for six months and missed the season. He qualified for the Tokyo Games with an 87.86m throw.  

In March 2021, in the Indian GP, Chopra threw 88.07m, setting a new national record. He also competed in Portugal and secured a gold medal with an 83.13m throw. He is currently coached by German bio-mechanics expert Klaus Bartonietz.