Neeraj Chopra donates jersey he wore at Paris Olympics to World Athletics Heritage Collection

Apart from Neeraj Chopra, artefacts of Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Thea LaFond were also inducted.

Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh, the World Athletics women’s field event athlete of the year, and her fellow Paris 2024 Olympic medallists Thea LaFond of Dominica and Neeraj Chopra of India are among the 23 athletes whose competition artefacts have been inducted into the World Athletics Heritage Collection, which is displayed in the online 3D platform of the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA).

“Thank you to the athletes who have so kindly donated their competition clothing, shoes and even medals to our museum’s collection in 2024,” commented World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.

“This year we have received historic Olympic winning items from two icons of the 1960s, Wyomia Tyus and Billy Mills, and from 1980 Olympic 100m champion Allan Wells, plus the 2000 and 2008 Olympic heptathlon gold medallists, respectively Denise Lewis and Nataliia Dobrynska.

“Keeping our Olympic collection up to date, we are proud today to be announcing donations from a trio of Paris 2024 medallists: Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Thea LaFond and Neeraj Chopra.

“With world record setting shoes and singlets from Filbert Bayi, David Rudisha and Devynne Charlton also among this year’s inductions, it is worth reminding ourselves that there would be no collection, no Museum of World Athletics, without the athletes selflessly supporting our heritage programme. Thank you for your generosity.”

Yaroslava Mahuchikh broke the long-standing world high jump record with a leap of 2.10m at the Paris Diamond League in the Stade Charlety in July and went on to win the Olympic title in the Stade de France in August. She has donated her Paris Olympic singlet, name bib and shorts to the MOWA. Mahuchikh presented these items to Coe while attending the World Athletics Awards 2024 in Monaco.

LaFond, who won the Olympic triple jump title in Paris with a 15.02m national record to become Dominica’s first Olympic medallist in any sport, has given to the collection the crop top she wore when winning her Paris gold medal. In 2024, LaFond was also crowned world indoor champion, winning that title with what was then a national record leap of 15.01m.

Chopra, who won India’s first Olympic title in athletics when he got javelin gold at the Tokyo Games, has donated the competition t-shirt he wore in Paris 2024. With his second-round throw of 89.45m, Chopra secured the silver medal behind Arshad Nadeem, who threw an Olympic record of 92.97m.

32 artefacts, 23 athletes, 12 countries, 4 areas

In total, 32 artefacts related to 23 athletes from 12 countries representing four continental areas have been added across the MOWA’s five online 3D galleries.

Many of the items of clothing, shoes, medals and trophies entering the MOWA were exhibited in a month-long MOWA World Indoor Athletics Exhibition in Glasgow in March and in an Olympic Collection Display in the centre of Paris during the Games in August.

Currently, all the new additions are on show at the World Athletics offices in Monaco and many will be on display next year at the MOWA World Athletics Championships Heritage Exhibition in Tokyo.

Also Read: World Athletics Awards 2024: Letslie Tebogo, Sifan Hassan named World Athlete of the Year for men and women

Athletics artefacts entering MOWA

In the coming weeks, features will be published about the careers of the many champions and record-breakers who have made donations to the collection in 2024 and are joining the displays across MOWA’s digital platform for the first time today:

1930s

• Official report of the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
• Official results sheets for the 1936 Olympic long jump final won by Jesse Owens (USA). Handwritten annotations by infield judge.

1960s

• Abebe Bikila (ETH), 1961 chrome cast of the right foot of the two-time Olympic marathon champion.
• Billy Mills (USA), Tokyo 1964 Olympic tracksuit: 10,000m champion.
• Wyomia Tyus (USA), Mexico City 1968 Olympic running spike (left shoe): 100m champion and world record.

1970s

• Filbert Bayi (TAN), Christchurch 1974 Commonwealth Games singlet, number and shorts: 1500m champion and world record.
• Ben Jipcho (KEN), Lagos 1973 African Games photo finish: 3000m steeplechase champion and world record (not ratified).
• Ron Hill (GBR), Munich 1972 Olympic Games silver mesh singlet: marathon sixth place.
• World Cup of Athletics, founded 1977. Sterling silver cup (37cm high).

1980s

• Steve Cram (GBR), Moscow 1980 Olympic Games tracksuit top: 1500m eighth place.
• Jozef Pribilinec (CZE), Seoul 1988 Olympic Games photo finish: 20km race walk champion.
• John Regis (GBR), Rome 1987 World Championships bronze medal: 200m bronze.
• Allan Wells (GBR), Moscow 1980 Olympic Games singlet and pair of spikes: 100m champion and 200m silver.
• Grand Prix Series, founded 1985. Host city pin badges.
• World Marathon Cup, founded 1985. Silver plated cup (50cm high).

1990s

• Steve Backley (GBR), Budapest 1998 European Championships singlet and bib number: javelin gold medallist.
• Tom McKean (GBR), Barcelona 1989 World Cup of Athletics singlet and shorts: 800m first place.
• Yvonne Murray (GBR), Toronto 1993 World Indoor Championships pair of spikes: 3000m gold medallist.
• Golden League, founded 1998. Trophy, bag and gold jackpot bib.

2000s

• Nataliia Dobrynska (UKR), Beijing 2008 Olympic Games one-piece track leotard and pair of spikes: heptathlon gold medallist.
• Janeth Jepkosgei (KEN), Osaka 2007 World Championships singlet: 800m gold medallist.
• Denise Lewis (GBR), Sydney 2000 Olympic Games bodysuit and bib number: heptathlon gold medallist.
• Fiona May (ITA), Helsinki 2005 World Championships tracksuit top: long jump qualification.
• Collection of bronze athletics sculptures, each 35cm high, sculpted by the artist H Kreg Harrison.

2010s

• David Rudisha (KEN), 2010 ISTAF Berlin meeting, pair of spikes: 800m first place and world record.
• Diamond League, founded 2010. Metal and quartz trophy (30cm high).
• Golden Spike, Ostrava, founded in 1961. Crystal trophy made for the 55th edition (2016).

2020s

• Usain Bolt (JAM), 2016 sprint spike, autographed but unworn. Presented to World Athletics Heritage in 2021 by Puma and Weltklasse Zurich.
• Devynne Charlton (BAH), Glasgow 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships singlet, name bib and spike (left shoe): 60m hurdles gold medallist and world record.
• Neeraj Chopra (IND), Paris 2024 Olympic Games t-shirt: javelin silver medallist.
• Thea LaFond (DMA), Paris 2024 Olympic Games crop top: triple jump gold medallist.
• Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR), Paris 2024 Olympic Games singlet, name bib and shorts: high jump gold medallist.

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