 "Neeraj Chopra's heartwarming gesture for fan wins hearts online ahead of inaugural NC Classic in Bengaluru")
After collecting back-to-back wins at the Paris Diamond League as well as Golden Spike Ostrava, the former being his first major triumph of the 2025 season, Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra will be turning his attention to an event that isn’t just taking place on home soil, but is actually named after him.
The 27-year-old double Olympic medallist and reigning world champion, after all, will be headlining the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic that will be taking place in Bengaluru on 5 July. And needless to say, he will be starting the event as a strong favourite for the top spot, especially considering his current form.
Chopra surprises fan with ‘VVIP experience’
Chopra, however, has been making headlines in connection with the NC Classic before even arriving in the Karnataka capital. The javelin star, after all, has agreed to sponsor a fan from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu for the event, covering not just his trip to Bengaluru but also promising a VVIP experience complete with stay at Radisson.
“If anyone sponsor me 2000 rupees, I can go to watch this from Coimbatore,” X user Ranjith (@iam_rrt) had posted on Wednesday, quoting a post by the event’s official account.
Chopra replied to Ranjith’s post a couple of days later on the social networking platform.
“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!” he wrote in response.
Hi, Ranjith. You've got a full VVIP experience waiting for you in Bengaluru because your trip to the @nc_classic is on me! 😊
— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) June 27, 2025
And thanks to @RadissonHotels, you'll be staying about 90 metres away from me. See you soon! 😉 https://t.co/aQvkNEnLry
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic will be taking place at Bengaluru’s Sree Kanteerava Stadium, home of the Indian Super League club Bengaluru FC.
The event was originally scheduled to be held at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula, Haryana on 24 May, but was later moved to Bengaluru as Chopra felt the venue did not meet international standards required by world athletics.
The event was later rescheduled to 5 July due to the conflict that broke out between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
The 12-man field at the NC Classic will include four Indians besides Chopra, including Asian Games silver medallist Kishore Jena.
The event also features Grenada’s Anderson Peters, who had won bronze at the Paris Olympics last year behind Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem and Chopra, and later narrowly beat the Indian to the Diamond League title in Brussels.
Nadeem, who had prevented Chopra from winning back-to-back Olympic gold medals with a monster 92.97m throw, was also invited to the event originally , but was later left out after the Pahalgam terror attack as well as subsequent hostilities between New Delhi and Islamabad.
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