Olympic gold to breaching 90m mark: How did javelin star Neeraj Chopra achieve greatness?

Neeraj Chopra made history by becoming the first Indian to throw over 90m in javelin. From Olympic gold to Diamond League success, his journey is marked by consistency, dominance, and a fiery passion.

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Neeraj Chopra unlocked another achievement

Javelin throw star and ‘golden boy’ Neeraj Chopra grabbed national headlines when he finally breached the 90-metre mark in the recently concluded Doha Diamond League on Friday, May 17. With this, the 27-year-old became the first Indian to break the elite barrier in the history of javelin throw.

After the first throw of 88.44m, Neeraj Chopra was fouled in his second throw. With much motivation and determination, Chopra unleashed a powerful third throw that soared to 90.23 metres, etching his name in the record books. Despite his incredible effort, Neeraj Chopra finished second on the podium as Germany’s Julian Weber took the spot with a monstrous throw of 91.06m. However, Neeraj’s historic 90.23m throw marked a significant milestone in Indian athletics.

With another achievement in his illustrious career so far, how has Neeraj Chopra aimed for greatness?

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Olympic gold that changed face of Indian athletics

Indian athletics was propelled into the global limelight when Neeraj Chopra clinched a historic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, making him the first track and field athlete and the second after shooting legend Abhinav Bindra to win an individual Olympic gold for India. Indian athletics had been deprived of an Olympic medal despite participation of top athletes, including the likes of Milkha Singh, PT Usha, and Anju Bobby George, but Neeraj Chopra’s triumph ended a long-awaited glory and ignited belief and ambition in track and field.

Following a historic gold medal, Neeraj Chopra emerged as a harbinger of a new era of Indian athletics as he put javelin on the global map when no one expected an Indian to dominate a sport traditionally ruled by Europeans. Before bagging the Olympic gold medal, the javelin star was the gold medalist at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games in 2018. He was the first to win gold medals in athletics at multi-sport events.

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Consistency at its peak

One of the reasons behind Neeraj Chopra’s sustained success is remarkable consistency across all top-tier international events. Chopra could not defend his Tokyo Olympic gold at the Paris Games as he settled for the silver medal last year, but his ability to consistently finish on the podium underscores his temperament and technical mastery in javelin. Before the Paris Olympics, Neeraj consistently practiced in all conditions and participated in the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland as part of his preparation for the quadrennial event.

Neeraj Chopra might have breached 90 metres for the first time in his career at the Doha Diamond League, but he has been consistently crossing the 85-metre barrier in almost every major event, making him in contention for medals at the highest level. The first time Neeraj breached the 85m mark was at the U20 World Athletics Championships in 2016, with a throw of 86.48m, helping him clinch the gold medal. Chopra settled for a silver medal at the Paris Olympics with a throw of 89.64m, 0.36m short of the 90m mark. In his career, Chopra shattered national records seven times.

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Dominance on the global stage

Neeraj Chopra further strengthened his reputation as one of the greatest Indian track and field athletes with his success at the World Athletics Championships in 2023 and Diamond League in 2022. After settling for a silver medal at the prestigious athletics event in 2022, Chopra bounced back to clinch the historic gold medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, making him the first Indian athlete to win a world title in track and field. In 2022, Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian athlete to win a Diamond League title.

His success at the Tokyo Olympics, 2022 World Championships, and 2022 Diamond League have firmly established him as one of the global icons in athletics. Neeraj Chopra’s dominance at world events reflects his relentless dedication, technical prowess, and mental resilience, inspiring a new generation of Indian athletes to dream big on the global stage.

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Obsession with 90-metre mark

After achieving success at the major sporting events, one thing that has driven Neeraj Chopra relentlessly is his obsession with the coveted 90 metres, the benchmark that separates the great from the elite in javelin throw. After agonizingly falling short of the 90-metre mark at the Paris Olympics, Neeraj Chopra continued to push his limits in training and competition to breach this milestone.

With Jan Zelezny as his coach, Neeraj Chopra seemed to have found not only a perfect mentor to fine-tune his technique and strategy, but also one who has 52 throws over 90 metres in his illustrious career. Neeraj's quest for the coveted mark was achieved when he threw his javelin at a distance of 90.23m at the recently concluded Doha Diamond League, making him the first Indian and among few athletes globally to breach this elite barrier.

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Fiery passion

Another key reason behind Neeraj Chopra’s constant quest for greatness is his fiery passion for javelin throw that has kept him motivated through challenges, injuries, and intense competition. The fire in the belly to constantly improve and break new ground pushes Neeraj to train relentlessly and rigorously, and maintain unwavering focus on his goal. Hailing from a small town in Haryana, Neeraj Chopra took the world by storm with his dedication, discipline, and consistency, proving combined with hard work and passion can overcome any odds and place India firmly on the global athletics map.

If there is one thing Neeraj Chopra has shown many times, it is that he performs best when under pressure. His performance in the global events itself speaks volumes about his mental toughness and ability to rise to the occasion, delivering under pressure that have secured medals and historic victories for India time and again.