Inspired by Neeraj Chopra, Jharkhand’s javelin teen sensation Shilpa Kumari dreams of Olympic glory

When Neeraj Chopra hurled the javelin beyond the 87-metre line at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he not just won the gold medal, he also sparked off a revolution in Indian athletics with a plethora of javelin talent breaking out onto the global stage.

While the likes of Commonwealth Games 2026 bronze medallist Yashvir Singh and Rohit Yadav have come up among the men, the women’s section has lacked a big star – until now, that is.

Hailing from a remote village in the tribal district of Gumla in Jharkhand, Shilpa Kumari – the current national record holder in the women’s U-17 category -- has emerged as the next big hope of women’s javelin in India.

For Shilpa, watching Neeraj Chopra’s Olympic exploits live on television along with her neighbours at her village ‘chaupal’ was a life changing experience. “I watched Neeraj Chopra win gold at the Olympics. That inspired me to take up javelin. I want to emulate Neeraj sir and win an Olympic medal,” Shilpa said during an interaction with SAI Media.

“As I watched the people in my village celebrate Neeraj Chopra’s triumph, I decided that winning an Olympic medal in javelin will be the target of my life from then on.” It was an athletics trial at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Ranchi which eventually fuelled that Olympic dream.

The finding of Shilpa Kumari

Shilpa’s coach Binod Singh vividly remembers the day he discovered what he termed as the “brightest emerging women’s javelin star in India.” “When I first spotted her three years ago during a trial at our SAI centre, I was impressed by her sheer natural talent. At that time, she was a total novice.

"But I selected her due to the fact that she displayed an extremely strong throwing ability. I could see the potential and realised that she was a very good prospect for the future,” the veteran coach recalled.

“Once I inducted her into training at the SAI centre in Ranchi, Shilpa showed excellent progress. She quickly improved and is now the brightest upcoming prospect for India in women’s javelin,” he added.

“Her parents are farmers and do not have the means to provide the required support for Shilpa’s sports career. It is the facilities, training, equipment, diet etc provided by SAI which has helped me to transform an uncut gem into a shining diamond.”

Training at SAI helped Shilpa Kumari

The training at SAI bore fruit when Shilpa burst onto the limelight at the national level in 2025 when she set a new women’s U-17 record with an effort of 55.62m at the 69th National School Games.

Shilpa’s throw of 55.62m effort is even better than India’s U18 national record of 55.19m, which was achieved by Deepika of Haryana in 2023. However, this mark was not officially recognised by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), as the competition is not officially sanctioned by World Athletics, the sport’s global governing body.

The teenager’s official personal best was registered at the 2025 Junior Nationals, where she finished fifth with a best throw of 45.90m — an improvement of nearly 10 metres.

“As an athlete, my only focus is to do my best. If the federation as not officially registered my throw, I will try to produce an even better attempt at my next official competition,” Shilpa said.

Meanwhile, Binod Singh is confident that his ward will continue to create waves when she reaches the senior level. “Shilpa is not concerned whether her best throw is officially recognised or not. We know what she can do. She will achieve that mark again,” he said.

For now, Shilpa is focussed on the Summer Youth Olympics which is scheduled to take place in Dakar, Senegal from October 31 to November 13, 2026. “My first goal right now is to finish on the podium at the Youth Olympics. But my ultimate goal is an Olympic medal,” the bubbly teenager said. “I will dedicate my Olympic medal to Neeraj sir.”