Neeraj Chopra becomes world champion: Full list of historical feats by the Indian athlete

Neeraj Chopra stands on the podium after winning the gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Sunday.

Every once in a while, there comes an athlete who makes public postpone their sleep, stop their vehicles, keep aside their daily chores and make them go into prayer mode, just to witness something spectacular in his/her field.

The athlete that makes India do that and much more today is 25-year-old Neeraj Chopra, who on Sunday became the first sportsperson from the country to win a World Championships gold medal in Budapest, Hungary.

The victory was just another addition to a long list of historical feats by the Haryana athlete over the past few years.

Here's a timeline of historical achievements by Chopra:

2016: Chopra first shot to limelight as an 18-year-old when he won gold at the World U20 Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland with a winning throw of 86.48m. The effort also bettered the world junior record of 84.69m, which was held by Zigismunds Sirmais of Latvia at the time.

2018: Two years later, Chopra claimed his maiden Commonwealth Games gold medal at Gold Coast, Australia with a throw of 86.47m, becoming the first Indian javelin thrower to win the top prize at the Games. A few months later, Chopra won the gold medal at the Jakarta Asian Games with an effort of 88.06m, bettering the national record mark at the time.

2021: The pandemic pushed the Tokyo Olympics slated to be held in 2020 to 2021, but that did not affect Chopra's remarkable consistency at major global events. On August 7, he became the first-ever Indian athlete to win a medal in a track-and-field event at the biggest sporting stage by clinching the gold medal with an effort of 87.58m.

2022: Chopra became the first Indian athlete to win a Diamond league meet when he won the event held in Lausanne, Switzerland with a throw of 89.08m. The performance helped him qualify for the World Athletics Championships in 2023.

2022: In the same year, Chopra became the first Indian athlete to win a medal at a World Championships since Anju Bobby George in 2003, when he won a silver medal at Eugene, United States with a best effort of 88.13m.

2022: A month after winning the silver medal at the World Championships, Chopra became the first Indian athlete to win the Diamond League final in Zurich with an effort of 88.44m.

2023: On August 27, 2023, Chopra became the first Indian athlete to win the gold medal at the World Championships that were held in Budapest, Hungary with a best effort of 88.17m.

Also read: Neeraj Chopra scripts history yet again, wins gold in World Athletics Championships 2023