Neeraj Chauhan sold vegetables in 2020. Now he has Asian Games bronze

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AthleticsKiran, Prachi, Poovamma Machettira and Vithya Ramraj - Women's 4x400m relay - GoldSreeshankar Murali- Men’s long jump- SilverVishal T.K., M.R. Poovamma, Manu T.S. and Vithya Ramraj — Mixed 4x400m relay – SilverGulveer Singh — Men’s 10,000m – SilverSawan Barwal – Men’s Marathon – Silver (He ended India’s 44-year wait for a medal in the event — and became the first Indian to win one outside home soil)Tajinderpal Singh Toor – Men’s Shot Put – SilverSarvesh Kushare- Men’s high jump-SilverGulveer Singh- Men’s 1500m-SilverAncy Sojan- Women’s long jump- SilverYashvir Singh — Javelin — SilverPooja  - Women's high jumP - BronzeGurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Harita Bhadra and Sneha SS - Mixed team 4x100m relay - BronzeDharmveer Choudhary, Manu T, Jay Kumar and Vishal TK - Men's 4x400m relay - BronzeRohit Yadav — Javelin — BronzePrachi — Women’s 400m — BronzeHarita Bhadra — Women’s 200m — Bronze (This was India's first medal at the Asian Games in eight years)Tejaswin Shankar — Men’s decathlon — BronzeParul Chaudhary — Women’s 3000m steeplechase — BronzeBaranica Elangovan — Women’s Pole Vault – Bronze (became the first Indian to win an Asian Games medal in the women's pole vault event)Vithya Ramraj — Women’s 400m hurdles — Bronze (Beat PT Usha’s four-decade-old record in 400m hurdles that was standing since 1984)Parul Chaudhary — Women’s 5000m — BronzeSeema Kumari — Women’s 10000m — BronzeManpreet Kaur — Women’s Shot Put – BronzeGulveer Singh - Men's 5000m - BronzexxxShootingKamaljeet, Suruchi Singh — 10m air pistol mixed team – GoldNeeru Dhanda — Women's trap individual — Gold Neeru Dhanda and Kynan Chenai — Mixed team trap — Gold  (This was India’s first-ever gold medal in the trap mixed team event at the Asian Games. The score of 34 hits out of 40 was a new Asian record.)Elavenil Valarivan — Women’s 10m Air Rifle (Individual) – SilverElavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar, Vidarsa Vinod — Women’s 10m Air Rifle (Team) – SilverHimanshu Dhillon — Men’s 10m Air Rifle (Individual) – SilverRudrankksh Patil, Himanshu Dhillon, Parth Mane — Men’s 10m Air Rifle (Team) – SilverAishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Rudranksh Patil and Niraj Kumar — Men’s 50m rifle 3P team – SilverAshi Chouksey, Vidarsa Kochalumkal Vinod and Tilottama Sen – Women’s 50m rifle 3P team – SilverEsha Singh – Women’s 25m Air Pistol – Silver Neeru Dhanda, Manisha Keer and Aashima Ahlawat — Women's trap team — Silver Rudrankksh Patil — Men’s 10m Air Rifle (Individual) — BronzeRaiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan and Parinaaz Dhaliwal — Women’s skeet team – Bronze (This was India’s first women’s skeet team medal in Asian Games history)Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Bhavtegh Singh Gill, Mairaj Ahmad Khan — Men’s skeet team – BronzeAnantjeet Singh Naruka, Parinaaz Dhaliwal — Mixed skeet team – Bronze (This was India’s first-ever mixed team medal in skeet shooting)xxxKabaddiIndia women’s team – GoldIndian men’s team – GoldxxxHockeyIndia women’s team – GoldIndia men’s team – GoldxxxCricketIndian Women’s Cricket Team – GoldIndian Men’s Cricket Team – GoldxxxArcheryWomen’s compound archery team (Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Prithika Pradeep, Taniparthi Chikitha) — GoldTaniparthi Chikitha and Sahil Rajesh Jadhav — Compound archery mixed team event —  GoldMen's compound archery team (Sahil Jadhav, Kushal Dalal and Thirumuru Ganesh Mani Ratnam) — GoldAnkita Bhakat, Kirti, Kumkum Anil Mohod — Women's Team Recurve — Gold (this is the first-ever gold medal for the women's team at the Asian Games.)Kumkum Anil Mohod - Women's Individual Recurve - Gold (this is the first-ever gold medal for India in the event)Dhiraj Bommadevara, Neeraj Chauhan and Yashdeep Bhoge — men's recurve archery — SilverDhiraj Bommadevara and Kumkum Anil Mohod — mixed team recurve archery — Silver (This was India's first ever silver in this event at the Asian Games)Ganesh Thirumuru — Men's compound archery individual — BronzeNeeraj Chauhan- Men's Individual Recurve- BronzexxxBoxingLovlina Borgohain — Women’s 75kg weight class — Gold (She is the second woman after Mary Kom to win a gold medal in boxing in the Asian Games since 2014.)Parveen Hooda - Women's 65kg weight class  - GoldAnkush Panghal - Men's 75kg weight class - GoldNarender Berwal — Men’s +90kg weight class — BronzePriya Ghanghas — Women’s 60kg weight class — BronzeKapil Pokhariya — Men’s 90kg weight class — BronzexxxSquashAnahat Singh — women’s singles — Silver (Became 1st Indian to win women’s singles silver at Asian Games)Abhay Singh — men’s singles — Silver (Became only only India’s second singles medallist in Asian Games history after Saurav Ghosal claimed one at Hangzhou three years ago)Joshana Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar — Mixed Doubles — BronzeJoshana Chinappa, Anahat Singh, Tanvi Khanna — Women's team — BronzeAbhay Singh, Veer Chotrani, Velavan Senthilkumar — Men's team — BronzexxxTable tennisManush Shah, Diya Chitale — Mixed doubles — BronzexxxMixed martial artsSuchika Tariyal — Women’s Traditional MMA (60kg) – Bronze (This was India's first medal ever in MMA at an Asian Games)xxxKurashPincky Balhara – Women’s 78kg – BronzexxxWeightliftingMirabai Chanu — Women’s weightlifting (49 kg) – Silver (This was India’s first weightlifting medal at the Asian Games since Karnam Malleswari won silver in Bangkok in 1998)xxxSoft tennisJay Meena — Soft tennis (men’s singles) – Bronze (This was India's first medal ever in soft tennis at an Asian Games)xxxBadmintonLakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, HS Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth, Tharun Mannepalli, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Hariharan Amsakarunan, MR Arjun, Dhruv Kapila — Men’s Badminton Team – BronzexxxWushuRoshibina Devi — Women’s 60kg sanda – SilverxxxRowingSatnam Singh, Salman Khan — Men’s double sculls – Bronze (This was India's first-ever rowing medal in double sculls in Asian Games history)xxxWrestlingAman Sehrawat — Freestyle wrestling, men's 57kg — Gold (This is the first time an Indian wrestler has become Asian Games champion in the men’s 57 kg category)Sujeet Kalkal — Freestyle wrestling, men's 65kg — Gold (This was the first gold for India in wrestling since 2018)Antim Panghal — wrestling, women's 53kg — SilverDeepak Punia — Freestyle wrestling, men's 97kg — BronzeSunil Kumar — Greco-Roman 87kg — BronzeNitesh Siwach — Greco-Roman 97kg — SilverxxxSailingPrince Noble Kurisinkal, Manu Francis - Men's Skiff — SilverShital Verma, Harshita Tomar - Women's Skiff — BronzeNethra Kumanan - Women's Dinghy — Bronze (This was India's first ever medal in women's dinghy event in Asian Games)xxxSepaktakrawIndia men's team - Bronze (This was India's first ever medal in Men's Quadrant event at the Asian Games)xxxGolfPranavi Urs- Women's individual- GoldIndia women's team- SilverHis father is away at their native village near Gorakhpur. His mother, Paramshila Devi, remembers the lockdown. “My husband had been working as a cook at the stadium since 1997. When Covid-19 meant he lost his job, he had to support the family. He would run the vegetable cart in the morning and drive an auto in the day, while Neeraj and his brother would manage the cart in the day,” she said.Chauhan started at the stadium where his father worked, training with the boxers before he switched to archery. He won a silver in the individual event and a bronze in the mixed team event at the 2018 nationals, in the Indian round. Months later a video of his went viral on social media, the Union Sports Ministry took note, and he was granted a Rs 5 lakh scholarship. He was selected for the SAI Centre in Sonepat, where he trained under Jitendra Chauhan.He joined the ITBP on the sports quota in 2021, won a senior nationals medal in 2022, and was picked for the Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Turkey the same year.“When Neeraj came to train at the SAI Centre, we had to start afresh. We had to work on scapular alignment. Then we had to work on his bow release as well as the anchor release apart from his follow through,” Jitendra Chauhan said.“Getting the scholarship as well as the job in ITBP later and training at the SAI Sonepat centre meant that I did not have to worry about the expenses or finances,” Chauhan said. Indian archer Neeraj Chauhan celebrates with teammate Dhiraj Bommadevara at the Asian Games in Okazaki Central Park Multipurpose Square, Okazaki. (Photo: REUTERS)Chauhan finished 20th in qualification. In the pre-quarter-finals he beat Kim Je-deok, a three-time Olympic champion (mixed team and men’s team at Tokyo, men’s team at Paris). He was part of the Indian men’s team that took silver on Friday, and on Saturday he won his quarter-final 7-1 against Bhutan’s Dorji Lam before losing to Nakanishi. Dhiraj, meanwhile, lost 3-7 to Lee Woo-seok, the Paris Olympics team gold medallist and individual bronze medallist, in the other semi-final. The Indians met for the bronze.Chauhan led 2-0, trailed 2-4, then shot 30 in the fourth set and 29 in the fifth, five tens in his last six arrows.“I idolise Dhiraj bhaiya and have been following his shooting style too since long,” he said.“Yes, my qualification round did not go well but then scoring a win against Kim Je-deok motivated me a lot. It gave me the belief that I can beat the best in the world. I knew that Saturday was my chance to win a medal.”“I met Korean legend and five-time Olympic gold medallist and reigning Paris champion Kim Woo-jin. It means a lot that he saw me winning the bronze.”