New Delhi, Feb 3: Olympic gold medalist, Neeraj Chopra, has been nominated for the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award on Wednesday. The athlete is among the six nominees of the award.
The other nominees for the award are Daniil Medvedev, Pedri, Emma Raducanu, Yulimar Rojas, and Ariarne Titmus. Reportedly, the winners will be announced in April.
The Laureus World Sports Award recognizes teams or individuals who have achieved a breakthrough in sports.
The first Indian track and field athlete to win an Olympic gold medal, Neeraj Chopra is only the third Indian athlete to be nominated for a Laureus Award, following wrestler Vinesh Phogat in 2019 and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, who won the Laureus Sporting Moment Award from 2000 to 2020.
At the age of 23, Neeraj Chopra achieved a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 – India’s first-ever medal in a track and field event!
Chopra’s second throw of 87.58 metres in the javelin throw event was enough to secure a gold medal for India at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, making him one of just two Indians to win an Olympic gold medal, the other being Abhivan Bindra, who won the gold medal in air rifles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
On the eve of Republic Day 2022, Neeraj was honoured with the Param Vashistha Seva Medal. The Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) is an Indian military honour.
