Who is Neeraj Chopra? 5 things you didn't know about India's Tokyo Olympic medal prospect

Neeraj Chopra is one of India's best athletes in track and field events. The youngster has an impressive record in the international circuit. As Chopra gears up for his first Olympics in Tokyo, India hopes to win its first athletics medal in history.

Chopra has been impressive over the past few years. He has set several national records in the lead up to the Olympics. Here is more on that and 5 things you probably didn't know about him.

Tokyo Olympics: Can Neeraj Chopra make history?

# 1 Neeraj Chopra was overweight as a child

Like every child, Neeraj Chopra was fond of the food his grandmother prepared. At 12, he weighed around 90 kg. The youngster's journey to fitness went parallel to his foray into javelin throw.

# 2 Neeraj Chopra and his dominance in the junior sections

Neeraj Chopra made a sensational start to his career as he dominated the junior sections. He went on to win a gold medal at the IAAF World U-20 Championship in Poland with an 86.48 meter throw. This was a new world record in the category. His win in Poland gave India its first medal at the world stage in athletics.

# 3 How many medals has Neeraj Chopra won in his career?

Olympics ki Aasha: How Neeraj Chopra overcame obesity to become a javelin throw star

Neeraj Chopra has had a great career so far. He won gold at the Asian Games in 2018. In the Commonwealth games, he repeated the result with an 86.47 meter throw. He became the first Indian to clinch gold at the Commonwealth games in javelin throw. Chopra has won gold medals in the Asian Championship and the South Asian Games as well.

# 4 Neeraj Chopra and his national record

Well done @Neeraj_chopra1 👍A wonderful new national record and a step closer to the Olympic medal in Javelin! pic.twitter.com/jzPAC8lyoG

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) March 5, 2021

The youngster has broken his own national record several times now. The first time was in the Doha Diamond League with an 87.43-meter throw. He broke that record while winning gold at the 2018 Asian Games. He outdid himself with an 88.07 meter throw at the Indian Grand Prix earlier this year.

# 5 Neeraj Chopra has a legendary coach

Training throw 2017 pic.twitter.com/9kFK8Cq2bp

— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) June 14, 2020

Neeraj Chopra is currently coached by the German Uwe Hohn, a retired track and field athlete who once breached the 100-meter mark in javelin throw. Since the new javelin was designed in 1986, Hohns' record is marked as an 'eternal world-record'. Chopra was formerly coached by Garry Calvert, who passed away in 2018 after suffering a heart attack.