Why is August 7 celebrated as National Javelin Day?

On This Day, India’s golden boy, Neeraj Chopra, scripted history.

August 7 is celebrated as National Javelin Day to remember the heroics of Neeraj Chopra. The star athlete scripted history by winning a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on August 7, 2021. 

Interestingly, this was the first medal for India in track and field events since Independence and the second instance of an individual gold after shooter Abhinav Bindra at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

A few days after Chopra won the gold medal, the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) officially marked the date to celebrate National Javelin Day. AFI organizes javelin throw competitions across different states on August 7 every year. 

In the qualifying event of the men’s javelin event of the Tokyo Olympics, Neeraj Chopra delivered a throw of 86.65m and finished as the top performer. As a result, he advanced to the 12-man final. 

Also Read: Who holds the record for longest javelin throw, and where does Neeraj Chopra stand in the list?

In the final, Chopra began with an 87.03m throw and returned with his best effort of 87.58m in his second attempt. After a disappointing third attempt of 76.79m, he followed it with two invalid throws. Chopra pulled back things with an 84.24m throw in his sixth and final attempt. 

However, Neeraj Chopra managed to bag a gold medal with his 87.58m throw. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch (86.67m) and Vitezslav Vesely (85.44m) won the silver and bronze medals, respectively. 

How has Neeraj Chopra performed in 2025?

​Neeraj Chopra’s first participation this year came at the Potch Invitational Meet in Potchefstroom, which took place in April. He finished with a gold medal after returning with a throw of 84.52m. 

Also Read: Chef Neeraj Chopra: Star javelin thrower shares his cooking skills & favourite recipe

Then, Chopra participated in the Doha Diamond League in May, where he finished second with a throw of 90.23m. The Janusz Kusocinski Memorial 2025, in the same month, saw the 27-year-old finish second with a throw of 84.14m. 

Neeraj Chopra secured a gold medal at the Paris Diamond League with a throw of 88.16m in June. A few days later, Chopra again bagged the yellow metal at Ostrava Golden Spike 2025 with a throw of 85.29m. 

After an attempt of 86.18m, Chopra won the gold medal at the Neeraj Chopra Classic 2025, which is named in his honour in July.

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