Neeraj Chopra Creates History by Clinching Second Athletics World Championships Gold
Adding another extraordinary achievement to his already illustrious career, Neeraj Chopra secured the World Athletics Championships gold, becoming the sole Indian athlete with two medals in the competition and the first to capture the prestigious gold. Prior to this, he had been one of only two Indians to hold a World Championships medal. Chopra’s journey in Budapest began with a shaky start, marked by a foul throw. However, he swiftly turned the tide with his second throw, propelling the javelin to a remarkable distance of 88.17 meters, sealing his victory. This accomplishment kept him ahead of Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who clinched silver, and Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch, who secured the bronze.
During an official podium ceremony following the day’s events, Neeraj received the gold medal as the Indian national anthem resonated. He was awarded a substantial cash prize of $70,000 (approximately Rs 58 lakh) for his triumph. Nadeem, the silver medalist, received a cash award of $35,000, while Vadlejch, the bronze medalist, was granted $22,000.
Neeraj Chopra’s achievement is even more remarkable as he joins the ranks of only two other javelin throwers—his idol Jan Zelezny and Norway’s Andreas Thorkildsen—who have achieved the trifecta of winning gold at the Continental, Olympic, and World Championships. His journey began with a gold at the 2018 Asian Games, followed by another gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and now culminating in a gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. He holds the distinction of being the first Indian javelin thrower to secure gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Olympics, and the World Athletics Championships. Additionally, he clinched the junior World Champion title in 2016 and triumphed in the Diamond League in 2022.
His career trajectory, spanning from 2017, has seen remarkable performances across major senior competitions. The 2022 World Championships marked an exception when he secured silver due to an exceptional throw by Grenada’s Anderson Peters, who managed a distance of 90.54 meters. Nevertheless, Neeraj’s silver finish remained the best result any Indian athlete had achieved in the competition until that point. His recent achievement distinguishes him as the first Indian athlete to earn multiple medals in athletics World Championships.
