Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra turned 24 on Friday. On the occasion, wishes and congratulatory messages poured in for the star athlete. Chopra, who hails from a village near Panipat in Haryana, brought glory to the nation by winning the gold medal in the men's javelin throw event at the Tokyo Olympics. He became only the second Indian individual gold medallist after Abhinav Bindra, and the only one to win a track-and-field Olympic gold medal.
Among those who wished Chopra was Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. In a tweet, Gadkari wished him good health and a long life.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that "the son of Haryana" has made India proud with his javelin throw at the Olympic Games. He said, he wished Neeraj Chopra always remains happy and has a long life.
Wishing Neeraj Chopra, Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister Narayan Rane said, “I pray for your long and healthy life ahead.”
“Birthday wishes to a man who inspired the entire nation & who let us all believe that dreams do come true,” said MoS for Sports, Youth and Cultural Affairs Harsh Sanghavi.
Industrialist Naveen Jindal also wished the star athlete. “Keep shining and making India proud. Have a great year ahead,” the chairman of Jindal Steel and Power Limited added.
IPL team Delhi Capitals also wished Neeraj Chopra, calling him the “man of 2021”. It shared an image of Neeraj celebrating after one of his throws at the Tokyo Games.
Neeraj scripted history on August 7, 2021, with his 87.58-metre throw in the javelin event and won the gold medal for India.
Earlier, he had trained under the guidance of the Indian Army and proved his mettle at several national and international sporting events.
He joined the Army as a Junior Commission Officer in 2017. In 2018, he received the Arjuna Award, and in 2020, the Vishisht Seva Medal for his excellence in sports. After his Tokyo triumph, he was bestowed the Khel Ratna Award by President Ram Nath Kovind.