Dream come true for Neeraj’s family

Mukesh Tandon

Tribune News Service

Panipat, April 14

The dream of 20-year-old Neeraj Chopra’s family was realised when he won gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Australia on Saturday morning. Born in a farmer’s family, Neeraj won the javelin throw gold medal.

His family, led by his parents Satish and Saroj Devi, distributed sweets in Khandra village of Panipat district. Though, Neeraj won gold with a throw of 86.47 metres, he failed to beat his own world record.

He had won the title with a throw of 86.48 metres, creating a world record, in the Junior World Championship in Poland in 2016.

Neeraj’s uncle Bhimsen Chopra said they had a joint family with 17 members and Neeraj was their eldest son. He was very healthy and weighed 85 kg in 2011, following which they told him to join the gym, he said.

During the gym sessions in Panipat, around 14 km from the village, Neeraj started going to Shivaji Stadium, where he met Jaiveer of Binjhol, a javelin thrower, he said. On Jaiveer’s suggestion, Neeraj started taking part in the event, he said. With a height of 6.1 feet, he did the best in the game, he said.

After winning gold in the national championship in Lucknow in 2012, the family shifted him to Panchkula. He had won 28 national and international medals in the last five or six years, said Neeraj’s uncle.

Talking over telephone, Neeraj said, “I had full faith in myself of winning the medal in the Commonwealth Games. My dream now is to win gold in the Olympics and I will work hard to achieve my goal.”

Surender, his uncle, said Neeraj had studied up to Class IX in Bhalsi village. He said Neeraj was now studying through the open school system and was studying in BA-II from Kurukshetra University. After winning the championship in 2016, he had been appointed Naib Subedar in the Army.