Neeraj Chopra, an Indian javelin thrower, has joined hands with YouTube India to develop a short film for the platform that will narrate his chronicles and his remarkable rise from a village in Khandra, Haryana, to the pinnacle of the Olympics podium at the Tokyo 2020.
Chopra is the first Indian track-and-field athlete to win a gold medal at the Olympics. He is also a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) in the Indian Army. Chopra won the gold medal with a throw of 87.58 metres on his second try on August 7, 2021. He is one of just two Indians to win an individual Olympic gold medal (the other being Abhinav Bindra) till now, as well as the youngest Indian Olympic gold medalist in the individual competition and the only one to win gold in his Olympic debut.
Neeraj will participate in tailored advertisements to motivate and inspire India’s next generation through his path. In addition, he will be creating his own official YouTube channel where he will post regular content regarding his sporting activities and lifestyle.
“When I started to get interested in javelin throwing as a sport, a lot of people didn’t even know what it was about. It was hard to find CDs, watch broadcasts or see other athletes perform. YouTube India Spotlight connected me to my sport,” said Neeraj.
“We are extremely excited about this partnership because we believe this is a great platform for Chopra to tell his inspirational story to a wider audience. The video format is hugely popular for content consumption across urban and rural India, and we are confident that Neeraj can be a perfect role model to take the sport of athletics (and javelin throw) to millions of India’s youth,” stated, Divyanshu Singh, head of sales and marketing at JSW Sports.
The short film revolving around the gold medalist is said to be four minutes long and will focus on the hardships and struggles the athlete had to face as well as his undying spirit that lead him to the top.
JSW Sports fostered the connection between Neeraj and YT India. JSW Sports is part of the JSW Group, a $13 billion multinational with operations in India, the United States, South America, Europe, and Africa. Teams such as Bengaluru FC, Delhi Capitals (DC), and Haryana Steelers are affiliated with JSW Sports.