He had to miss the 2019 World Championships in Doha due to bone spurs in his right elbow, undergoing surgery in Mumbai on 3 May 2019, the day after the qualifying competitions for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics had begun. After a period of recuperation, involving meditation and rehabilitative training at Patiala and the Inspire Institute of Sport at Vijayanagar, he travelled to South Africa in Nov 2019 for training under German biomechanics expert Klaus Bartoneitz – enough clues !!
Yes, Neeraj Chopra - who after a 16-month hiatus, returned to international competition in Jan 2020 with a winning throw of 87.86 metres in the Athletics Central North West League Meeting in Potchefstroom, South Africa, which as a distance of over 85 meters qualified him for the Tokyo Olympiad.
On 4 August 2021, Chopra made his debut at the Olympics, representing India in the Japan National Stadium. He topped his qualifying group for entry to the final with a throw of 86.65 metres. NEERAJ CHOPRA made the Nation proud by winning the Gold medal in the final on 7th Aug 2021 with a throw of 87.58M in his 2nd attempt, becoming the first Indian Olympian to win a gold medal in athletics, and the first post-independence Indian Olympic medalist in athletics.
Neeraj with his parents
Chopra's medal gave India a final total of seven medals at the Games, surpassing the country's previous best performance of six medals earned at the 2012 London Olympics. Chopra also became the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal after Abhinav Bindra, who won the gold medal in men's 10 m air rifle in the 2008 Summer Olympics. He dedicated his win to sprinters Milkha Singh and P. T. Usha.
To the Communists and to many here Capitalism is taboo – often they would quote ‘Ambani & Adani’ . .. .. this post is about the greatness and goodness of a great Corporate and its Head – Salute you Sir, in Nation Building, being inspirational and ‘changing lives of common people’ – Hats Off to you !
Responding to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's announcement on twitter about the opening of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway on April 1, Anand Mahindra responded to the minister's tweet saying that these highways will not just add percentage points to our GDP growth but also knit India together. Most of you would have viewed these pictures and read tweets too : Indian cricketers T Natarajan and Shardul Thakur took to social media on Thursday to share pictures of new Mahindra Thar SUV, gifted by the Chairman of the Mahindra Group. Anand Mahindra in January, impressed by the performance of six cricketers-- Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, T Natarajan, Navdeep Saini and Washington Sundar— in the noted India-Australia series match, announced that he would gift them Mahindra Thars.
Neeraj Chopra VSM is now ranked second internationally by World Athletics. A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) in the Indian Army, Chopra is the first track and field athlete to win a gold medal for India at the Olympics. He is also the first track and field athlete from India to win at the IAAF World U20 Championships, where in 2016 he achieved a world under-20 record throw of 86.48 m, becoming the first Indian athlete to set a world record. Chopra participated in the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the 2018 Asian Games, serving as the flag-bearer in the latter and winning gold medals in both.
.. .. ..and as promised, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra gifted a customised Mahindra XUV700 to golden boy Neeraj Chopra. The 23-year-old athlete shared picture with his brand-new car and thanked Anand Mahindra for the gift. Neeraj Chopra shared a picture of himself posing next to the car and wrote, “Thank you @anandmahindra ji for the new set of wheels with some very special customisation! I'm looking forward to taking the car out for a spin very soon (sic).”
Anand Mahindra gifted a similar model XUV700 car to Sumit Antil, who won a gold medal in the F16 Men's javelin throw at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. “We are so proud of you @sumit_javelin. Thank you for giving us the privilege of sharing our very own ‘Javelin’ with you! May the Force be with you always (sic),” Anand Mahindra wrote sharing a picture of Sumit Antil posing with the car.
Just in case, you still wonder who – “Anand Gopal Mahindra” (born 1 May 1955) is an Indian billionaire businessman, and the chairman of Mahindra Group, a Mumbai-based business conglomerate. Anand Mahindra is the grandson of Jagdish Chandra Mahindra, co-founder of Mahindra & Mahindra. As of January 2020, his net worth is estimated to be $1.6 billion. He is an alumnus of Harvard University and Harvard Business School. In 1996, he established Nanhi Kali, a non-government organisation that supports education for underprivileged girls in India. He was included by Fortune Magazine among the 'World's 50 Greatest Leaders' and was in the magazine's 2011 listing of Asia's 25 most powerful businesspeople. Anand was noted by Forbes (India) as their 'Entrepreneur of the Year' for 2013. He was given the Padma Bhushan Award, the third Highest civilian award in India, in January 2020.
Almost two years after a Tamil Nadu woman won over the internet for serving idlis at low cost for daily wage workers, Anand Mahindra fulfilled his promise to support and “invest” in her venture. The business tycoon shared the delightful news that the octogenarian would soon have a house of her own, which would also function as her new food joint. Kamalathal from Coimbatore went viral as ‘Idli Amma’ in 2019 for cooking and selling idlis for just Re 1. For over 30 years, she has been running her business from a tiny shanty shop. However, she wasn’t concerned about making profits and extended her services keeping in mind those in need. Her thoughtful gesture had moved Mr Anand Mahindra who first provided her LPG connection and after knowing that her priority was a new home cum workspace, Mahindra’s companies rallied their forces by helping register land in her name. “Only rarely does one get to play a small part in someone’s inspiring story, and I would like to thank Kamalathal, better known as Idli Amma, for letting us play a small part in hers,” Mahindra wrote online while making the announcement.
Anand Mahindra is a true inspiration – We bow our heads to you acknowledging your great gestures Sir – Hats off Anand Mahindra Sir. .. .. really gracious !
Neeraj’s vehicle registration no. is 8758 – that Gold medal winning distance !!
With regards – S. Sampathkumar1st Nov. 2021
