Neeraj Chopra has been making headlines since his U-20 days. The ace javelin thrower first broke the world under-20 record in 2016 with an effort of 86.48 m at the U-20 World Championship. He then went on to win several laurels, the most prominent being the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Towards the end of 2022, according to World Athletics, Neeraj displaced Usain Bolt, who is still the world record holder in the 100m and 200m despite retiring in 2017, from the top of the list of most written about athletes for the first time in years.
Now, Neeraj has impressed one of greatest ever sprinters, Michael Johnson. The American great won four Olympic gold medals and eight World Championships gold medals in his career. He formerly held the world and Olympic records in the 200 m and 400 m, as well as the world record in the indoor 400 m.
He posted a video of Neeraj on Twitter with the caption: "He's a javelin thrower! Olympic champion javelin thrower, but a javelin thrower. With sprinter/jumper movement!" To that comment, Neeraj replied: "Now that I have your approval, checking the sprint calendar for the season. @MJGold."
Chopra had a terrific 2022, finishing runner-up in the world championships in Eugene, Oregon -- only the second Indian to win a global medal after Anju Bobby George's bronze in the women's long jump in 2003 -- and became the first athlete from his country to win the Diamond League final in the javelin.
That followed up his Olympic gold medal in Tokyo last year.
Chopra led the way with 812 articles ahead of a troika of Jamaican women sprint stars, Elaine Thompson-Herah, with 751 articles, world 100m champion Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce (698) and world 200m champion Shericka Jackson (679), with Bolt still featuring in 574 articles. World Athletics quoted figures from media analysis company Unicepta.
With AFP inputs