Ranveer Singh, Sania Mirza, Sonu Sood and Yogi Adityanath, among others who were honoured
If there is one moment we’d all like to remember from the two gloomy years gone by, it’s the one when a 23-year-old youngster from Haryana brought home a gold at the Olympics. So, when people in a packed room were asked who should be awarded CNN-News18’s Indian of the Year 2022, there were no second guesses.
“Neeraj Chopra,†said the voices, loud and clear.
The champion javelin thrower was honoured with the title for ending India’s 100-year wait for a gold in track and field, and for the glory he has brought the country in tournaments since.
Receiving the award from actor Ranveer Singh, and India’s World Cup-winning cricket captain Kapil Dev, Chopra said he was happy about the sporting culture in Haryana. “At 4 am, you’ll see children racing, even when they don’t have shoes. Ek junoon hai Haryana mein (there’s passion for sports in Haryana),†he said. “Slowly, it’ll spread to the whole country… if we have adequate facilities, we can be number 1 in sports.â€
For Chopra, practising is a form of meditation. “Those eight to 10 hours in the stadium are like tapasya for me,†he revealed. “I may be here at the awards, but my mind is at the training.â€