New Delhi: Double-Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra has revealed of receiving a special gift in the Khandra village of Panipat district in Haryana. Chopra, who recently secured a silver medal at the Paris Olympics in the men’s javelin throw event, has led a moment for Olympic sports in a country obsessed with cricket.
Chopra was put into sports at a young age by his parents for being overweight. He decided to give a shot to javelin throw, and consequently, was admitted to the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex in Panchkula. That’s where the journey of a champion making happened.
In reference to Pakistan’s gold medallist Arshad Nadeem receiving buffalo from his father-in-law as a gift, Neeraj narrated his own story of receiving gifts at local level after winning competitions as a child.
“I was gifted desi ghee once. Back home in Haryana also we get things like these as gifts: 10 kilo desi ghee or 50 kilos of desi ghee. Or ladoos. There are promises made: ‘If Neeraj wins this competition, I’ll give him 50 kgs of ghee’,” Neeraj said in a virtual interaction arranged by JSW Sports, as quoted by The Indian Express.
“I would hear these things being said since I was kid, this was when circle kabaddi and wrestling were really popular. Ghee is gifted because we believe that it helps increase strength, which we need in our sport. Buffalos are also gifted in our region. Wrestlers and kabaddi players are also gifted things like Bulleft motorbikes or tractors,” he added.
Neeraj Chopra’s next competition in Lausanne
Neeraj Chopra confirmed his participation in the upcoming Lausanne Diamond League, which starts on August 22. A training video at the Swiss Federal Institute of Sport was posted by the 26-year-old on his social media platform on Friday. However, Neeraj’s mother Saroj Devi feels the pressure seeing her son train rigorously and asks the Olympic and World champion to reduce his training methods.
“My mother sometimes sees these videos and tells me to train lightly. She can’t see me put myself under so much pain. But I tell her, if I ease up on hard work, others will over take me in competition,” Neeraj said.
Double-Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra has revealed of receiving a special gift in the Khandra village of Panipat district in Haryana. Chopra, who recently secured a silver medal at the Paris Olympics in the men’s javelin throw event, has led a moment for Olympic sports in a country obsessed with cricket. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
