Panipat: It might seem like an odd choice to display your PAN Card and GST number on a metal signboard attached to your house — but not if you’re Olympian Neeraj Chopra.
The athlete is so accustomed to constant public scrutiny that he has pre-emptively laid bare all his essential details.
Everyone within a 50 km radius of Neeraj’s two-storey family home in Khandra, Panipat, knows exactly where he lives. When he’s not in intense training camps or busy winning medals, he returns here to lend a hand at the family farm, play with his pet dog Tokyo, and cruise around the village in a tractor or his black Ford Mustang.
But his Haryana home and leisure time are luxuries that 25-year-old Neeraj Chopra can ill-afford right now. With the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics looming, he is laser-focused on his training. He is just about to leave and lock himself down in a camp in South Africa until at least February, after which he will shift base to Europe.
Neeraj’s javelin throw, honed in the fields of Panipat, shattered India’s Olympic glass ceiling at Tokyo 2020, making him the country’s first track and field athlete to claim gold. Now, he’s out to prove it was no lucky toss.
The first step is shedding the extra kilos he put on from eating ghee-laden parathas, biryani, and sweets at home. But to the athlete, homemade delicacies outweigh his coach’s disapproval, his father Satish Chopra says.
But the senior Chopra has no idea where his son is or what his schedule looks like. He stopped trying to keep track after mistakenly informing people that Neeraj was training in Turkey when he was actually in Germany.
He says he doesn’t have his son’s number saved on his phone, nor does he have contact information for Neeraj’s coach, physiotherapist, or manager. The family has made peace with the fact that Neeraj has a higher calling— bringing glory to the country— and will get in touch when he needs to.
“Until his body is capable, his responsibility is doing his best for our country,” says Satish. “We’ll sit and talk after he retires. Until then, we’re taking care of ourselves so he can take care of what he does.”
After a quick stint at home this winter, tending to chores on the family farm and loading up on his favourite treats, Neeraj disappeared into the mist to his other life— serving India, whether as an athlete or as a junior commissioned officer of the Indian Army.
Satish points out that Neeraj carries the weight of a nation’s expectations on his back, but hasn’t let the adulation that comes with it go to his head.
“I hadn’t seen or heard of this ‘javelin’ before Neeraj told us. I didn’t even know what the Olympics are,” says Satish, in their unassuming living room, sparsely decorated with a few small framed photographs of Neeraj. In one, he’s posing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in another with former President Ram Nath Kovind.
“Just the other day, when I drove by a shop in a nearby village, I saw 20 javelins, all made of wood. That’s because of my son,” says Satish, stifling a proud smile.
Neeraj is one of the few sportspersons with a winning formula working in his favour— “talent, humility, and the backing of the Army, the government, and JSW”
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‘Brand ambassador of India’, Haryanvi at heart
Neeraj is a Gen Z athlete, but he’s not one for mindless scrolling. As a teenager, he watched clips on YouTube not to pass the time but to pick up javelin techniques.
Even now, he uses the internet largely for learning, says Kunal Majgaonker, head of content and media at JSW Sports, which manages Neeraj. “He’s one of those guys who uses the internet in the way it should be used,” he adds.
This intentional approach extends to Neeraj’s brand endorsements and self-representation, according to both Majgaonker and Karan Yadav, chief marketing officer at JSW. Neeraj is selective about what he endorses, and careful to not pick a brand or promote something that betrays his values.
When he does get involved, he dives into projects headlong, with plenty of creative inputs. Yadav says JSW specifically looks for trusted brands that have a good foundation and are controversy-free. Any commercial partnership also needs to align with the Olympian’s core philosophies: is it having some positive impact on society? Is it promoting something close to him? Is it playing a role in nation-building using sports as a platform?
“Either they recognise the kind of person Neeraj is and want to leverage that, or we look at brands that can position Neeraj as the global athlete that he is,” says Yadav, adding that they have a great mix right now of Indian and global brands.
Neeraj is an athlete who’s well-funded — he has a larger budget for his nutritional supplements than other athletes have for their food or stay
-Rohith Maradapa, IOC Young Leader
This approach was evident in Chopra’s ad for fintech company CRED, in which he showcased some serious acting talent.
“He wants to draw out the best possible outcome, even in a piece of content,” says Majgaonker. “That’s the standard he’s set for himself with everything — he doesn’t mind being involved in something in which he can better the output.”
Despite being a national symbol, Neeraj stays rooted in his Haryanvi identity. Last month, his visit to Panipat coincided with the launch of OTT platform Stage, which produces content in Indian languages, including Haryanvi. Neeraj is an investor in the platform and announced his involvement at a press meet.
Satveer Singh, a Khandra resident who’s known Chopra since he was a child, grins as he shows a selfie he snapped with the hero at the meet.
“I used to see him as a child, cycling from Khandra to Panipat,” says Singh. “Now, I see him make that journey in his big, black car — me and the hundreds of others who come to see him too! But it’s nice to see he is still Haryanvi, even after travelling all over the world.”
Veteran sports journalist Norris Pritam also highlights that while Neeraj is mindful of his image, he is authentic and grounded too.
“Neeraj is like a brand ambassador of India without being an ambassador,” says Pritam, who has just written a book titled The Neeraj Chopra Story: The Man Who Made History. “He’s careful and particular about how presents himself when it comes to the causes he endorses. But he’s the kind of person who won’t shy away from wearing casual clothes or his cap backward, sometimes even when meeting dignitaries. His long hair is also part of who he is.”
Raising the bar— and his voice
Neeraj Chopra’s monster javelin throw catapulted him into a very exclusive club. The only Indians to win gold at the Olympics before him were the men’s hockey team (which reached the top spot five times since independence) and rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra in Beijing 2008.
But what makes him an even rarer breed of sportsperson is his willingness to speak out against perceived injustice.
He was one of the few athletes to publicly support wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia during their protest against the alleged sexual assault and harassment by Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
(Neeraj) told us that so far India hasn’t done much with javelin, but that we could do a lot… I’m glad we believed him.
-Satish Chopra, father of Neeraj Chopra
“It hurts me to see our athletes on the streets demanding justice. They have worked hard to represent our great nation and make us proud. As a nation, we are responsible for safeguarding the integrity and dignity of every individual, athlete or not. What’s happening should never happen,” he posted on Twitter (now X) on 28 April, a day after PT Usha, the president of the Indian Olympic Association, chastised the protestors for indiscipline.
In August 2021, he stood up for Pakistan javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem after the latter was accused of tampering with Neeraj’s javelin. Neeraj made it categorically clear that he wouldn’t be used as a tool for “propaganda”.
He has also gone out of his way to help fellow athletes, including javelin competitor Kishore Jena. When visa issues jeopardised Jena’s participation in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest this August, Chopra appealed to Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar to “find a solution”. Jena got his visa— but it was Neeraj who bagged gold in yet another first for India.
At the Asian Games the following month, Neeraj and Jena won gold and silver respectively. Both qualified for the Paris Olympics. Neeraj said he was “very happy” about it.
“Neeraj wants India to do well, it’s not like he’s the only person who can win for India,” Satish says. “He told me that if Jena wins, our country wins. And that’s absolutely correct.”
Neeraj exemplifies the Olympic values of “excellence, friendship, and respect”, says Rohith Maradapa, an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Young Leader and a former member of India’s national rowing team. “He wants to not just break records, but better himself and raise the standards of competition.”
From ‘accident’ to strategy
Neeraj threw his first javelin as a young teen at the Shivaji Stadium in Panipat. Today, the stadium proudly displays a photograph of him above its doors, alongside those of other top athletes from the region.
Chopra’s entry into athletics is often traced back to a few extra kilos and a happy accident. The story goes that he was an overweight child whose concerned family enrolled him in a gym. He would cycle from Khandra to Panipat to train at the stadium but picked up the javelin after seeing a friend throw it.
His coaches swiftly recognised not just his aptitude, but also his potential for achieving sporting glory.
What added a winning edge was that Neeraj was not just passionate, but strategic in his approach, his father recalls.
“I remember when we realised what Neeraj was doing (in his early teens). He told us that so far India hasn’t done much with javelin, but that we could do a lot,” Satish says. “He told us that he would lead the way. And I’m glad we believed him.”
A big buzz is building around the Indian squad’s showcase at the Paris Olympics, with Neeraj leading the charge in athletics.
‘Sports is like war’
Just luck and hard work did not make Neeraj an Olympian. The support of JSW and the Army, both important entities in Indian sports, have been crucial too.
“Neeraj is an athlete who’s well-funded — he has a larger budget for his nutritional supplements than other athletes have for their food or stay,” says Maradapa. “And these facilities are there to support a champion like him. When such support is there from top to bottom, of course Indian athletes will do well,” he added.
From Milkha Singh to Anju Bobby George and now Neeraj Chopra, the Indian Armed Forces have long nurtured track and field athletes.
Neeraj enlisted in the 4 Rajputana Rifles in 2016 and was subsequently selected for specialised training at Mission Olympics Wing—an Army initiative to train exceptional sportspersons— and the Army Sports Institute in Pune.
According to Pritam’s book, the Army actively scouted out Neeraj and persuaded his family to let him join.
“Sports is also like war,” says Satish, who was initially unsure about his son joining the Army. “The stadium is like a battlefield, where you have to fight for India.”
While Neeraj’s long hair caused a bit of a stir in the ranks after the 2018 Asian Games, an indulgent commandant convinced the Army chief to cut him some slack. And he agreed. Now, Neeraj’s obligations to the Army involve attending events whenever called upon. Otherwise, he’s free to focus on his training.
In India, Neeraj trains at JSW’s Inspire Institute of Sport in Bellary. He also trains at various locations abroad. His younger sister is studying German so she can pursue higher studies in Germany — their parents think it would be a good idea especially since Neeraj spends so much time in Europe.
While training in Turkey, he flew his father and uncle to stay with him last year. It was their first international trip — but as strict vegetarians, they struggled with food choices.
The experience, however, gave them a newfound respect for the way Neeraj manages his diet. According to Satish, the Olympian often cooks for himself and sometimes even eats meat to fulfil his dietary requirements when he is abroad. When he’s at home in India, he only eats vegetarian food, but still enjoys cooking for his family. On one of his last evenings during his recent trip, he cooked veg biryani for the whole family.
Satish is grateful for JSW’s investment in his son— it’s what allows him to not worry when Neeraj is away.
“Without their support and facilities, we don’t know what would have happened,” Satish says.
The lack of sports infrastructure, funding, and general awareness remains a major hurdle for most Indian athletes— a reality that Satish says he has experienced first-hand.
“The only reason Neeraj even saw a javelin was because he had to go to Panipat to exercise — we don’t have any facilities in our village, even though a stadium was promised. Maybe there will be more like him if there are more facilities in India. I know Neeraj wants to set an example for that,” he says.
Today, Neeraj is one of the few sportspersons with a winning formula working in his favour— “talent, humility, and the backing of the Army, the government, and JSW”, as Maradapa puts it.
A big buzz is building around the Indian squad’s showcase at the Paris Olympics, with Neeraj leading the charge in athletics.
Well-funded sports like javelin, hockey, shooting, mixed relay, and table tennis are where most sights are set, Maradapa observes. “India did really well at the Asian Games, so that’s a good indication of how we’re situated for the Olympics,” he adds.
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‘If he’d become friends with a cricketer…’
When he gets the chance to slip away from intense training camps, Neeraj Chopra transforms into a typical young man — if he manages to remain incognito, that is.
He enjoys hanging out with his group of athlete friends, often playing other sports like volleyball. He’s also an avid photographer who carries around a DSLR camera. If he catches a break during his training camp in South Africa, Neeraj might even go on a safari to take wildlife and landscape photos, according to JSW’s Majgaonker.
Like many other young people, Neeraj loves fast cars too. He recounted in a Zoom interview with the Indian Express that he was once pulled up for running a red light in an Audi that he was test-driving. A policeman stopped him and demanded to see his ID. When he saw who it was, the cop grinned and let the Olympian go.
At home, Neeraj is a dutiful son and brother, Satish says. He shuttles younger relatives to and from tuition classes and helps in tending to the family’s wheat and rice fields.
“I’m proud that he’s still the same as he always was. He has not changed,” says Satish.
But Neeraj wants to change the face of sports in India. A stadium has been promised to Khandra, and both father and son are waiting for work to begin.
“We know Neeraj is lucky, and that lots of things worked out for him. He wants to help others have the same opportunities,” Satish says. He pauses for a moment and adds: “It was Neeraj’s luck that he had friends who threw the javelin. If he’d become friends with a cricketer, who knows what would have happened?”
(Edited by Asavari Singh)