NEW DELHI: The Indian Olympic Association on Friday named javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra as India’s flag-bearer for the 2018 Asian Games opening ceremony. 


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Chopra will lead the Indian contingent comprising of 572 athletes in the ceremony, scheduled to be held on August 18 in Jakarta, Indonesia. He will replace former Indian Hockey captain Sardar Singh, who was the flag-bearer in the 2014 edition. 


Chopra set a junior world record of 86.48m in the 2016 IAAF World Under-20 Championship held at Bydgoszcz, Poland. He won the 2015 National Championships with 77.67 mark. He struck gold at the 2017 Asian Championships (85.23m) in Bhubaneshwar. 2018 Sotteville Athletics Meet in France (85.17m) and the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast (86.47) earlier this year. 


The 20-year-old Panipat based athlete broke his own national record (86.48m) when he finished fourth with a stunning 87.43m mark at the Doha Diamond League in May 2018. 


India had finished the 2014 Asian Games with a tally of 57 medals and ranked at No.8 on the medal table. India had won 11 gold, 10 silver and 36 bronze medals in the edition which was held in South Korea.  


The month-long tournament will be held from August 18 to September 2 in Jakarta and Palembang (Indonesia). 


(With Agency inputs)