Wishes Pour In As India's 'Golden Boy' Neeraj Chopra Turns 26

India's Olympic gold medalist and World Champion javelin thrower, Neeraj Chopra, celebrated his 26th birthday by cutting cake on Sunday. The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a picture of Neeraj celebrating his birthday with a cake. The governing body of athletics in India also extended their wishes to Neeraj. "Happy birthday champion Neeraj Chopra," tweeted AFI.

Happy birthday champion @Neeraj_chopra1 #Paris2024 #Olympics #javelin @Adille1 pic.twitter.com/znxEzqI8EU

Over the last five years or so, this young boy from Haryana, blessed with a strong arm and hunger to succeed, has touched the biggest peaks in athletics. About to enter his late 20s, he is already possibly the greatest Indian athlete ever.

Following a World Junior Championship gold and Asian Championship silver in 2016, Neeraj graduated to the senior level and celebrated it in style with a gold medal in the Asian Championships in 2017.

The athlete had a great 2018 as well, making an impact at the continental and Commonwealth levels. He won gold in the javelin throw at the Asian Games in Jakarta. With a throw of 88.06 m, he made a mark at continental level, giving signs of a fine future. He also secured a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games 2018 with a throw of 86.47 m.

But the year 2021 was when everything changed for Neeraj and suddenly, he had become India's 'golden boy'. He captured an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo with the best throw of 87.58 m. With this, he became the first-ever Indian to win an athletics gold. This victory made him a sensation in the country. Love and support from fans, cricketers, politicians, and Bollywood celebrities made his victory even grander. Suddenly, Neeraj was the talking point all