Neeraj chopra

 Subedar Neeraj Chopra PVSM VSM is an Indian track and field athlete who is the reigning Olympic Champion in javelin throw. A Junior Commissioned Officer in the Indian Army, Chopra is the first track and field athlete to win a gold medal for India at the Olympics. 

Born: 24 December 1997 (age 24 years), Khandra

Awards: Padma Shri, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award for Athletics, Arjuna Award for Athletics

Education: Lovely Professional University, DAV College.

After local children teased him about his childhood obesity, Chopra's father enrolled him in a gymnasium at Madlauda; he was later enrolled in a gym in Panipat. While playing at Shivaji stadium in Panipat, he saw some javelin throwers and began participating himself.[12]

Chopra visited the nearby Panipat Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre, where javelin thrower Jaiveer Choudhary recognised his early talent in the winter of 2010.[13] Observing Chopra's ability to achieve a 40-metre throw without training and impressed by his drive, Choudhary became his first coach.[14] Chopra learned the basics of the sport from Choudhary and a few more experienced athletes who had trained under a javelin coach in Jalandhar.[15] He soon won his first medal, a bronze in the district championships, and then persuaded his family to allow him to live in Panipat while developing his abilities.[15]

 

Chopra receiving the Arjuna Award from Ram Nath Kovind, President of India, on 25 September 2018.[16]

After training under Choudhary for a year, the 13-year-old Chopra was admitted to the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex in Panchkula. The sports complex was then one of only two facilities in the state of Haryana with a synthetic runway. There, he trained under coach Naseem Ahmad, a running coach who made him train in long-distance running along with the javelin throw. As Panchkula lacked a specialized javelin coach, he and fellow javelin thrower Parminder Singh downloaded videos of the Czech champion Jan Zelezny and attempted to copy his style.[15] While initially at Tau Devi, Chopra typically achieved throws of around 55 metres, but soon increased his range, and in the National Junior Athletics Championships in Lucknow on 27 October 2012, won gold with a new national record throw of 68.40 metres.[17][18].