Neeraj Chopra, the two-time Olympic medal winner from India, donated his Indian national Jersey worn at the 2024 Paris Olympics to the World Athletics Heritage Collection. The ace Indian athlete bagged a silver in men’s javelin throw at the Paris Olympics. He is the only Indian to be included among 23 athletes whose artefacts have been inducted in this prestigious collection which is housed in Monaco. His jersey is on display in the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA) online 3D platform.
With a season-best throw of 89.45 meters, Neeraj Chopra finished second in the men’s javelin throw at the Paris Olympics, which took place in August this year. Neeraj, who was a favorite to defend his Olympic gold, narrowly missed out a historic second gold. He came behind Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem. Notwithstanding missing out on the gold, Neeraj’s silver medal made history, cementing him as one of the world’s top athletes in javelin.
Neeraj Chopra joins other prominent athletes who have donated their winning items to the World Athletics Heritage Collection. Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who was declared the 2024 Women’s Athlete of the Year, has also donated her Paris Olympics jersey to the collection. Another medal winner in the triple jump from the Paris Games, Thea LaFond, has also followed suit.
🇺🇦’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh and fellow @Paris2024 Olympic medallists including 🇮🇳’s Neeraj Chopra are among the athletes whose competition artefacts are inducted into the World Athletics Heritage Collection, displayed on the online 3D platform of the Museum of World Athletics.
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) December 12, 2024
Reports indicate that the president of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, commended the athletes, stating that their donations included some competition clothing, shoes, and even medals into the museum. “We are proud to be announcing donations from a trio of Paris 2024 medalists’: Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Thea LaFond, and Neeraj Chopra,” Coe said in a statement. He appreciated the contribution that the athletes made toward enriching the collection, including past Olympic icons’ memorabilia.
This year, a collection of significant artefacts from athletes as iconic as Wyomia Tyus and Billy Mills of the 1960s alongside Allan Wells, the 100m champion of the Olympics in 1980 and Denise Lewis’s heptathlon gold medals of the year 2000 and Natalia Dobrynska of the year 2008. These donations not only mark their achievements but will help keep the history of this sport alive for years and generations to come.
Adding Neeraj Chopra in this exclusive collection puts across his significant contribution to the sports and his standing along with the greats of the world.
