Neeraj Chopra, a javelin thrower who won India’s first Olympic gold medal in athletics in Tokyo, has become a sporting sensation in the country. Chopra is also only the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra to win an individual gold medal at the Olympics. Chopra’s outstanding on-field performance has easily transitioned into a digital phenomenon, making the 23-year-old athlete a social media sensation. Meanwhile, on social media, an old video of the Olympic gold medalist has gone viral.
Neeraj was asked about the inspiration for his lengthy hairstyle in the video, and his response amused everyone. Neeraj rose to prominence in 2015 when he won the junior world championship with a world record throw of 86.84m in Poland. He broke Latvian Zigismunds Sirmais’ previous best throw of 84.69m to become the first Indian track and field athlete to establish a world record.
Neeraj Chopra, now 23, had long hair that covered most of his forehead at the time. So the athlete was asked about the inspiration for those locks at the Indian Sports Honours Awards. Chopra, when asked if his poofy hair was inspired by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan or Indian cricketer Ishant Sharma, said flatly, “Neither.” “Ji, koi nhi hai!” (No inspiration.) Main khud hi apne Baal Lambe rakhta hun (I prefer to keep my hair long),” he explained. In the same interview, Neeraj requested that the presenter ask him questions in Hindi so that he could fully comprehend them.
Neeraj was also questioned how he got his javelin, to which he replied in Hindi, “God decided it for me. In my village, I used to participate in a variety of sports (Chandra). However, when I got down to the ground and witnessed seniors throwing the javelin into the air, I decided to join them. I had no idea what a javelin was. It all started like that, and now I’m standing here in front of you.” Neeraj Chopra has become an inspiration to millions of people and has a huge fan following.
Source-Zee News
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