Neeraj Chopra is an Indian athlete who represents India in the javelin throw. He is ranked as Junior Commissioned Officer (Subedar) in the Indian Army.He lives in a joint family with more than 17 other members in Panipat, Haryana. In his childhood, he used to be a chubby kid and used to wear a white kurta-pyjama. His village people used to call him Sarpanch. [13]Amar Ujala.In an interview, when he was asked how he developed an interest in the javelin, he replied, As an obese child, at the age of 11, I weighed 80 kilos. To get into shape, I visited the Panipat Stadium during vacations. My pocket money was about Rs 30 and many days I didn’t even have money for a glass of juice. I travelled by bus for about 17 kilometres to reach the stadium and returned with my uncle who worked in Panipat city. Although I was running to shed weight, I didn’t particularly enjoy it. I used to stand at some distance and watch my senior Jaiveer, who has represented Haryana in javelin, practice. One day, at his behest, I tried the javelin. I discovered I could throw it far and the realisation helped me regain my self-esteem.” Neeraj Chopra’s childhood image.In an interview, Neeraj shared that his family and village people supported him, and his uncle Bheem Singh encouraged him to make his career in the javelin. He further talked about the lack of facilities in his village for a sportsperson. He said, I left home when I was 14, owing to a lack of facilities. My formal education was disturbed after class 9. My dream is that villagers need not shift to a city the way I shifted to Panchkula. Athletes from Haryana are winning at the national, international and Olympics level but my village still does not have a playground. Whenever I stay there, I need to practice on the road. If we are to become an Olympian nation, every village should have a stadium and get coaches from the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, where I now train.” Neeraj Chopra’s grandfather and uncle.During an interview, Neeraj’s father shared that Neeraj was a mischievous kid. He further said, As a child, Neeraj used to twist the tails of buffaloes. Sometimes he used to harass the elderly by bursting crackers. The whole family was troubled by his words. Feeling proud to see a star adorned on my son’s shoulder. His father Satish Kumar said they had a joint family of 17. Neeraj was their eldest son. During his gym sessions in Panipat, Neeraj started visiting Shivaji Stadium. It was there that he came in contact with javelin thrower Jaiveer from Binjhol.”.Neeraj started his training in the javelin at the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Panchkula, Haryana, and due to lack of proper facilities, he continued his training at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula, Haryana. Neeraj Chopra after his practising session.During an interview, Neeraj shared that his senior Jaiveer Choudhary was the first person to recognise Neeraj’s skills and talent as a javelin thrower and helped him in his training. He further said, There were very few facilities to practise javelin in Panipat, the least of them the mud track that we ran on. When I decided to resume training seriously, I shifted to a sports nursery in Panchkula. I was 14. I practised on a synthetic track for the first time and got to train with athletes who were playing at the national level. I played my first junior nationals in Lucknow in 2012 and broke the national record with a throw of 68.46 metres.”.During an interview, while remembering the initial days of Neeraj’s practising session, his then coach Naseem Ahmad said, He’d sit with his notebook and take tips from them. He would never shy away from training and would always set targets of winning each day’s round with the group. To see him win the gold medal today on the biggest stage is the greatest joy for us. And I am sure he will be spending time with the javelin throwers from the other countries just like he did here with his seniors and friends post-training or competition.”.In 2016, on winning the U-20 World Championship and making a national record, the CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg congratulated him on social media. [14]Hindustan Times.He was appointed as a Junior Commissioned Officer (NaibSubedar rank) in the Indian Army in 2016 in the parent unit 4 Rajputana Rifles. Later, he was selected for training at the Mission Olympics Wing and the Army Sports Institute in Pune. He was then promoted from the Naib Subedar rank to Subedar rank. Subedar Neeraj Chopra in uniform.