Five things you need to know about Indian javelin thrower Shivpal Singh

The 25-year-old is will be making his Olympics debut in Tokyo.

Indian javelin thrower Shivpal Singh will be on the hunt to clinch his maiden Olympic medal at Tokyo 2020. It must be mentioned that it will be his first appearance in the Summer Games. The ace javelin star cleared 85.47 metres at the Athletics Central North East league meeting in Potchefstroom in 2020 to secure a spot in the Olympics 2020.

The 26-year-old went on to become the second Indian javelin thrower to qualify for the Olympic games, after Neeraj Chopra. Here are five interesting facts about Shivpal Singh ahead of his Olympics campaign.

5. Family background

Shivpal Singh hails from the Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh. Coming from a modest family, he took to the sport from an early age. Many of his family members, including his grandfather, father and uncles were all javelin throwers at the national level.

His uncle Jagmohan Singh was a national champion in Javelin throw. He encouraged Shivpal and walked him through a tough regimen to make him a contender in domestic championships.

4. Injury scares

Shivpal, who broke his own personal best to secure a spot at the Tokyo Olympics, is currently focusing on his core strengths. He is training hard to keep himself fit ahead of the mega event. Shivpal has suffered several injuries in his career and it hindered his progress in big events. In 2015, he had to opt out of the junior world championships due to injury.

He also had to sit out of the Federation Cup after suffering an ankle injury in 2021. Shivpal Singh and two other top javelin thrower of the country accused German coach Uwe Hohn of training foreign athletes, during their overseas exposure tours as well as his overbearing nature.

3. Maiden call for national camp

Shivpal started his career brightly at the district and national level javelin throw competitions, winning several medals. He received his maiden international call-up in 2015, to take part at the World Junior Athletics Championships. However, he was forced to pull out from the tournament after suffering an elbow injury.

2. Playing in first Olympics

Looking at his recent form, it’s safe to say the javelin thrower is not too far from ringing in the 90-metre mark at the Tokyo games. Shivpal, who is known for his active and fast run-up, is hoping to fulfill his and his family’s dream of winning an Olympics medal and carrying forward their legacy.

He is not only inspiring millions but also reviving the possibility of putting India in the list of best, as the nation's record in track and field events is substandard.

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1. Record breaking spree

At the 2016 National Athletics Championships, Shivpal went past Neeraj Chopra’s record of 77.67m by recording a distance of 77.72m. Later, in 2018, he joined the 80-metre club with an 82.28-metre throw while breaking Jagdish Bishnoi’s record of 79.67m throw to win a gold medal at the 58th National Inter-State Athletics Championships.

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