Before this recognition, Chopra held the position of Naib Subedar in the Indian Army, having been inducted as a Junior Commissioned Officer on August 26, 2016 (Photos: X)

A graduate of DAV College, Chandigarh, Neeraj began his journey in athletics in 2011 after being inspired by local javelin throwers in his native Haryana, according to his biography on the official Olympics website (Photo: X)

Chopra’s list of accolades is extraordinary. He became the first Indian to win gold in the javelin throw at both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. These landmark victories came in 2018 at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, and later the same year at the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia (Photo: Wikipedia)

His ascent began with history-making success at the junior level. In 2016, he earned the distinction of being the first Indian to win a junior world title in athletics by clinching gold at the World Junior Championships in Poland (Photo: @IaSouthern/X)

Neeraj etched his name into Olympic history at the Tokyo Games, becoming the first Indian to secure gold in any track and field event. His remarkable feat lifted India’s athletics legacy to new heights. At the following Olympics in Paris, Chopra continued to shine by winning a silver medal, narrowly missing the top podium to Pakistan`s Arshad Nadeem (Photo: @IaSouthern/X)

The year 2023 brought yet another milestone, as the 27-year-old became the first Indian to win gold at the World Athletics Championships. This followed his silver-medal finish in the previous edition, which was itself a groundbreaking achievement for Indian athletics (Photo: @TinyDhillon/X)