At the Panipat “Sports Authority of India” (SAI Center), Chopra’s natural talent for javelin caught Akshay Choudhary’s eye, leading him to become Neeraj’s first coach.
Learning under Choudhary and alongside seasoned athletes from Jalandhar, Neeraj swiftly clinched his first bronze in the district championships, which convinced his family to support his journey in Panipat for further growth.
After a year with Choudhary, 13-year-old Neeraj was trained at Panchkula’s Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex under Coach Naseem Ahmad, focusing on long-distance running and javelin throwing.
To refine his technique, Chopra studied Jan Zelezny’s videos, inspired by the Czech champion’s javelin throw skills.
He broke the previous world record in the junior category by throwing 81.04 meters at the “India Inter-University Athletics” meet. This marked his first throw of over 80 meters.
He finished fifth at the “National Games” in Kerala and received a callback for the national-level training camp.
He won a gold medal and set a world junior record at the “IAAF World U20 Championships” in Bydgoszcz, Poland. He achieved a throw of 86.48 meters, setting a world junior record and a new national record, becoming the first Indian athlete to achieve a world record.
He went to London for the “World Championships” but was eliminated before reaching the finals.
In the “Zurich Diamond League,” Chopra suffered a significant groin injury during the finals, attaining a distance of 83.39 meters on his third attempt. He fouled his fourth attempt and skipped the last two, finishing in seventh place with a best throw of 83.80 meters.
Withdrawal from competition Chopra had withdrawn from competition for the remainder of the year due to his injury.
After recovering, Chopra spent a month at the institute in Vijayanagar, focusing on recovery and training.
Chopra trained in Offenburg, Germany, for three months under coach Werner Daniels, focusing on strength training and improving his technique.
He made his debut at the Olympics, representing India in the “Japan National Stadium,” where he topped his qualifying group for entry to the final with a throw of 86.65 meters.
At the “Paavo Nurmi Games” in Turku, Finland, Chopra placed second with a new personal best of 89.30 meters and set a new national record.
Later, he broke his national record by throwing 89.94 meters to secure another second-place finish at the “Stockholm Diamond League.”