Neeraj Chopra nominated for Laureus award

INDIA'S Olympic gold medal-winning athlete Neeraj Chopra was on Wednesday (2) nominated for the prestigious Laureus ‘World Breakthrough of the Year’ Award – becoming the first Indian to be featured in the short-list for the same category. Overall, he is only the third Indian to fetch a Laureus nomination after cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and wrestler Vinesh Phogat.

The 24-year-old Chopra, who won the top Olympic medal in javelin throw at the Tokyo Games last August, was clubbed with tennis players Daniil Medvedev (Russia) and Emma Raducanu (UK), among others. He was only the second Indian to bag an individual Olympic gold after Abhinav Bindra and the first in the track and field event in independent India.

In a statement issued by The Laureus Academy, Chopra said, “...it’s a great honour for me to be recognised in the wider sporting world for what I achieved in Tokyo. From being a kid in a small village in rural India who only took up sport to get fit, to standing on top of an Olympic podium, it's been quite an eventful journey so far.”

“I feel privileged to be able to represent my country and win India medals at the global stage, and now to have this recognition from Laureus and be considered alongside such exceptional athletes is a really special feeling.”

Sachin Tendulkar (Photo: NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty Images)

Before Chopra, Phogat was nominated in the ‘Laureus world sporting comeback’ category for the year 2019 while Tendulkar won the ‘Laureus best sporting moment in the last 20 years’ in 2020.

A panel featuring more than 1,300 sports journalists and broadcasters from across the world picked the nominees each in seven categories for this year’s Laureus World Sports Awards.

The winners will be revealed in April, following a vote by the Laureus World Sports Academy, made up of 71 of the greatest sporting legends of all time.