
Neeraj Chopra sponsors fan a 'full VVIP experience' and accommodation for NC Classic in Bengaluru
New Delhi: Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra surprised a fan on Friday by offering him a "full VVIP experience" and accommodation for the upcoming Neeraj Chopra Classic on July 5 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
Ahead of the much-anticipated athletic event of the season on Indian soil, Chopra's fan named Ranjith, from Coimbatore, asked for money on social media to attend next month's showpiece event.
"If anyone sponsor me 2000 rupees, I can go to watch this from Coimbatore," he posted on X on June 25.
Replying to his post on Friday, Chopra not only agreed to give him free "VVIP" ticket but also assured his stay at a nearby luxury hotel.
Chopra responded on Ranjith's post saying, "Hi, Ranjith. You've got a full VVIP experience waiting for you in Bengaluru because your trip to the @nc_classic is on me! And thanks to @RadissonHotels, you'll be staying about 90 metres away from me. See you soon!"
Initially scheduled for May 24, the event was deferred due to India-Pakistan conflict, keeping security in mind, and to show solidarity with the nation.
As a World Athletics-sanctioned Gold event, the Neeraj Chopra Classic promises to elevate India's status on the global athletics map. It will feature a stellar line-up of elite javelin throwers, including The event will see the participation of several Olympic medallists, including Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Chopra, Thomas Rohler, Anderson Peters and others.
Chopra played a pivotal role in the staging of the event in India and sending invitations to global stars of the game to participate.
Chopra won the javelin throw title in the Ostrava Golden Spike 2025 meet with a best throw of 85.29 metres on Tuesday.
He had clinched victory in the prestigious meet with one throw remaining as his best effort of 85.29m remained unbeaten after six rounds, securing him yet another top podium finish this season.
It was the second title for Chopra within a month after he triumphed in the Paris Diamond League meet last week.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hindustan Times
7 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Vaibhav Suryavanshi gets dragged into India's woes as Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal ordered to work on their 'attitude'
It's been three days since India lost the first Test to England at Leeds, and you've got to admit. The result still stings. India put on almost 800 runs, took a first-innings lead and boasted five centurions, and yet, were the second-best team. Full credit to England, especially for how they batted in the fourth innings on Day 5 of the Headingley Test, but you've got to believe that somewhere, India choked on their chances and gift-wrapped the match to Ben Stokes and his Bazballers. What went wrong? We're pretty sure you've done your analysis, but let us rewind some of it for you. From left: Shubman Gill, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal(ANI/HT/Reuters) Firstly, the fielding. When you drop eight catches in a match, it's bound to come back and bite you, and when four of them are from the same fielder – Yashasvi Jaiswal – the woes become even worse. Full marks to India's batting. Barring Sai Sudharsan, the top five all got hundreds, but the impact just gets soured a tad when the result doesn't go your way. Fielding, more importantly India's catching, was India's big letdown, and Brad Haddin, the former Australia wicketkeeper batter, feels it reflected not only Jaiswal, but captain Shubman Gill's attitude as well. 'Every great team, no matter what year you're playing, the one stand out feature they've always had is that they've been a great fielding team. And I think that is one legacy Gill has start to leave now on this team. He needs an attitude adjustment. If you want to field well and compete the whole time, it's only attitude. You can do all your technical work off the field and have as many coaches as anyone, but it won't matter. Even in the IPL this year, the catching was horrible. And that could be a byproduct,' he said on the LiSTNR Sport podcast. Stressing on the importance of fielding, Haddin went on overdrive, calling fielding as important as batting or bowling. He brought into the discussion the young Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who made headlines for his historic century during the IPL, saying that if the youngster is to make it big, more than anything else, he needs to become a brilliant fielder. 'Take the young kid [Vaibhav Suryavanshi] from Rajasthan for example. Everyone is talking about how well he batted, and it was unbelievable. But if you're going to be a great player, he's got to work on his fielding, his presence in the game. The one thing I would say to India is find a way to be the best fielding team in the world because you got the talent everywhere else,' he said. How about a fielding data point to highlight to severity of dropped catches? Fielding is where Virat Kohli is a big loss to this Indian team. Take these guys out, who provide you with energy, enthusiasm and the will to work hard, who is driving it? Is it Gill's job, or even Jaiswal's, for that matter? Or maybe Ravindra Jadeja, the best fielder in the world? Alyssa Healy, the Aussie great, believes that it may not be a bad idea for the broadcasters to introduce a 'catches dropped' data point next to a player's name. It may not necessarily be to pick on someone but just highlighting how crucial the extra runs are, especially given the context of a Test match. Lastly, Haddin weighed in on another loose end that cost India the game – their lower order. From 430/3, India slumped to 471 all out in the first innings – 6 for 41 – and from 286/3, stumbled to 364. This isn't the first time India's tail has let them down, and when the opposition's last five batters are scoring more runs than yours, it's time for the fun and games to stop. "What hasn't happened for the first time is India's batting collapse. There's a lot of pressure on that top order. If you get through them, they will run through the remaining,' added Haddin.


India.com
12 minutes ago
- India.com
Shubman Gill to Virat Kohli to Jasprit Bumrah: Indian Test captains who started their journey with a defeat
Shubman Gill who became Indian Test captain recetly had to face defeat in his very foirst match. Lets learn about Indian Test captains whose capatincy debut started with a defeat. Shubman Gill scored 147 runs on his captaincy debut. Although he performed brilliantly with the bat in the first innings, the Indian team lost the match by 5 wickets. Gill's performance was excellent in the first innings, but the performance of the entire team was weak and India lost the match. Gill shone individually along with Rishabh Pant and Yasashvi Jaiswal but could not save the team from defeat on captaincy debut. Let's take a look at the Indian players who have faced defeat on their captaincy debut. Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu captained India's first Test against England at Lord's in 1932, but the team had to face defeat. Pataudi's captaincy debut came in 1962 against West Indies in Barbados, where India lost by an innings and 50 runs. In 1987, Dilip Vengsarkar made his captaincy debut against West Indies at home, but he too had to face defeat. India's most successful Test captain Virat Kohli played his first match as captain against Australia in 2014 and lost. At the same time, Jasprit Bumrah also had to face defeat on his captaincy debut against England in 2022.


Mint
28 minutes ago
- Mint
Rinku Singh set to be appointed as Basic Education Officer in Uttar Pradesh; What's BSA? Know eligibility, salary & more
Indian cricketer Rinku Singh is set to be appointed as a Basic Education Officer (BSA) in Uttar Pradesh. The development comes in after Rinku got engaged with Samajwadi Party MP Priya Saroj recently. Based on a Dainik Jagran report, a notification has already been issues by the Director of Basic Education in the state with his paperwork underway. The appointment of Rinku as a BSA is a reward to his contributions to cricket over the last few years. After grabbing the limelight in IPL 2023 for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rinku went on to represent the Indian team. He was also a part of the Indian team that won gold medal at the Asia Games in Hangzhou, China. Notably, the position of BSA is solely reserved for athletes who have made the country proud at the international level. Rinku's appointment also aligns with the state's policy to include individuals from sports into public service roles. However, his appointment has raised a few eyebrows, especially in regards to his educational qualification. According to a ETV Bharat report, Rinku failed in the ninth grade and didn't study after that. Instead he gave his all for cricket. A BSA acts as a government's representative in the area of basic education and works as a district level. It is a Group B (Gazetted) post and is common in all the state governments. Candidates, who fall in the age bracket of 21 to 40 years in the year of examination, are eligible for the post of a BSA. The basic education required for the post of BSA is graduation in any discipline from any recognised university or institution. The candidates for the post of a BSA are selected by State Public Service Commission (State PSCs) of the concerned state. Despite not having educational qualification by his side, Rinku was appointed as a BSA on under the International Medal Winner Direct Recruitment Rules 2022. Rinku's involvement in the gold medal-winning triumphant Indian cricket team at the 2022 Asian Games, makes him eligible under the scheme. According to a News18 report, Rinku might draw a salary of around ₹ 56000 per month, which may increase with experience and annual increments. Additionally, he will receive 46% Dearness Allowance, House Rent Allowance, Travel Allowance, and several other benefits.