Neeraj Chopra becomes first Indian to win gold in athletics at Olympics
Chopra came into the final as a medal contender after topping the qualification round on Wednesday with a stunning first round throw of 86.59m.
Neeraj Chopra on August 7 became only the second Indian to win an individual gold in the Olympics, excelling by quite a distance to notch up the first track-and-field Games medal for the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the 23 year old through a tweet saying that “History has been scripted at Tokyo! What Neeraj Chopra has achieved today will be remembered forever. The young Neeraj has done exceptionally well. He played with remarkable passion and showed unparalleled grit. Congratulations to him for winning the Gold”.
History has been scripted at Tokyo! What @Neeraj_chopra1 has achieved today will be remembered forever. The young Neeraj has done exceptionally well. He played with remarkable passion and showed unparalleled grit. Congratulations to him for winning the Gold. #Tokyo2020 https://t.co/2NcGgJvfMS
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 7, 2021
Bindra lauds Chopra
Neeraj Chopra who is a son of a farmer from Khandra village near Panipat in Haryana produced a second round throw of 87.58m in the finals to stun the athletics world and end India’s 100-year wait for a track and field medal in the Olympics.
Chopra won the country’s seventh medal and first gold in this Olympics and joined shooter Abhinav Bindra (2008 Beijing Games) as India’s individual gold winners in the showpiece. With this, the country had surpassed the previous best haul of six medal achieved in the 2012 London Games.
Bindra also gave his appreciation through his twitter handle and said, “Gold it is for Neeraj Chopra.Take a bow, young man ! You have fulfilled a nation’s dream. Thank you!
Also, welcome to the club – a much needed addition! Extremely proud. I am so delighted for you”.
And Gold it is for @Neeraj_chopra1 .Take a bow, young man ! You have fulfilled a nation’s dream. Thank you!
Also, welcome to the club – a much needed addition! Extremely proud. I am so delighted for you.— Abhinav A. Bindra OLY (@Abhinav_Bindra) August 7, 2021
As it transpired
Chopra came into the final as a medal contender after topping the qualification round with a stunning first round throw of 86.59m. But few would have thought he would bludgeon his way to gold in such a dominant fashion at the grandest of the stage.
Season leader and pre-tournament gold favourite Johannes Vetter of Germany, who had thrown the javelin to 90m plus distances seven times between April and June, was eliminated after the first three throws as he was placed ninth with a best effort of 82.52m.
Top eight after the first three throws get three more attempts while the remaining four in the 12-man final are eliminated.
With his fifth career best throw, Chopra has done something which the likes of late Milkha Singh and P T Usha could not do in 1960 and 1984 editions.
No Indian has won a medal in athletics since the country started taking part in the Games in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium.