Neeraj Chopra’s Salary & Net Worth: See What The World Champion Won After Olympic Gold
Only 25 years old, athlete Neeraj Chopra has several firsts to his name. The reigning World Champion, Olympian, and Diamond League Champion in javelin throw, Chopra has time after time scripted history and brought laurels to the country.
In August 2021, the young athlete brought home India’s first Olympic gold in athletics. Chopra won the gold for javelin throw with a throw of 87.58m.
Two years later, in August 2023, he again scripted history - winning India’s first gold in the 2023 World Athletics Championships with a throw of 88.17m.
The Tokyo Olympics win turned him into a celebrity overnight. The World Champion title further solidified that position. Today, Chopra is one of the most followed and admired Indian athletes.
Let’s take a look at this journey, net worth, and brand deals below:
Becoming A World Champion
Chopra hails from Haryana and belongs to a family of farmers. He studied at the DAV College, before enrolling in Lovely Professional University in Jalandhar, Punjab to pursue a degree in Bachelor of Arts.
Chopra’s foray into javelin throwing started with a stint at the gym when he was a kid. Chopra’s father enrolled him in a gym to help him lose weight and get healthier. It was there that Chopra, barely in his teens at the time, spotted javelin throwers and started practicing.
He started practicing with javelin thrower Akshay Choudhary in 2010 when he was just 12. His innate talent and Choudhary’s guidance won him his first medal - a bronze in district championships. That’s when he convinced his family to let him train professionally for the sport at the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex in Panchkula.
Two years later, in 2012, the young lad won his first gold at the National Junior Athletics Championships with a new national record throw of 68.40m. A year later, he was participating in international competitions. After participating in the 2015 National Games and ranking fifth, Chopra was able to enroll in the national-level training camp as a result. Thus, in 2016 he started training at Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, Patiala.
Since then, he’s continued to add to his kitty of awards, becoming both, an Olympic champion and a World Champion.
World Champion. What a feeling.
— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) August 28, 2023
India, this is for you.
जय हिन्द | 🇮🇳#WACBudapest2023 pic.twitter.com/iOwtzNsao5
Neeraj Chopra: Medals & Wins
Here’s a summary of all the awards that Chopra has won in his brief career since 2016:
|
Competition |
Chopra’s Rank |
Additional Remarks |
|
2016 Asian Junior Championship |
Silver |
|
|
2016 South Asian Games |
Gold |
New personal best with 82.23m throw |
|
2016 IAAF World U20 Championships |
Gold |
Set a world junior record of 86.48m - first Indian to do so |
|
2017 Asian Athletics Championship |
Gold |
|
|
2018 Commonwealth Games |
Gold |
Season-best at 86.47m - the first Indian to win the javelin throw at the Commonwealth Games |
|
2018 Asian Games |
Gold |
Bags India’s first gold in javelin throw at Asian games with a throw of 88.06m - beating his national record |
|
2020 Tokyo Olympics |
Gold |
With a throw of 87.58m, became the first Indian Olympian to win a gold medal in athletics |
|
2022 Lausanne Diamond League |
First Place |
|
|
2022 World Championship |
Silver |
|
|
2023 Doha Diamond League |
First Place |
|
|
2023 World Championship |
Gold |
India’s first gold |
In 2023, Chopra also ranked first in men's javelin throw rankings issued by the World Athletics.
Chopra’s efforts on the ground won him the Arjuna Award in 2018, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021 (highest sporting honour of India), and the Padma Shri (fourth highest civilian honour) in 2022, among other awards.
He was also offered a position with the Indian Army in 2016, as a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) in the Rajputana Rifles with the rank of Naib Subedar. In 2018, he was promoted to subedar - an out-of-turn promotion to reward his athletic achievements.
Neeraj Chopra: Net Worth & Brand Deals
Neeraj Chopra’s multiple wins brought him fame, attention, and love of the nation - along with brand deals and reward money.
As per reports, Chopra’s current net worth is estimated to be around $4.5 million or INR 37 crore. Considering the nature of his profession, Chopra doesn’t draw a fixed monthly salary.
Reward Money:
Here’s a look at the reward money he won after the Tokyo Olympics:
- Haryana state government: INR 6 crore
- Indian railway: INR 3 crore
- Punjab government: INR 2 crore
- Ed-tech company BYJU’s: INR 2 crore
- BCCI: INR 1 crore
- Indian Premier League (IPL) team Chennai Super Kings: INR 1 crore
He also received a grade-one government job from the Haryana government and free tickets for a year from IndiGo Airlines. He was also gifted an XUV700 by business tycoon Anand Mahindra.
Brand Deals
Apart from his match fees and reward money, Chopra also draws income from brand deals. Kroll's Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2022 placed Chopra's brand value stood at $26.5 million. A report by the Economic Times stated that Chopra charges INR 4 crore as annual endorsement fees.
Some of the famous brands Chopra worked with include Nike, Gatorade, JSW Sports, Procter & Gamble, Mobil India, Limca, etc.
And who can forget his most viral ad with CRED, where he played a series of different characters, flexing his nascent acting skills.
Chopra also teamed up with Marvel to promote Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and was named the friendship ambassador by Tourism Switzerland to promote notable tourist destinations.
The young athlete is a star on social media as well, with a whopping 6.9 million followers on Instagram and 946.1k followers on Twitter.
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