Tokyo: India erupted in joy as Neeraj Chopra fetched the country a historic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday.
The 23-year-old champion etched his name in the annals of Indian sports by winning the men’s javelin with a throw of 87.58 metres. Czech Republic duo Jakub Vadlejch (86.68m) and Vitezslav Vesely (85.44m) took home the silver and bronze, respectively.
The athlete from Haryana became the first Indian to capture an Olympic medal in track and field since Norman Pritchard claimed a pair of silver medals in pre-Independence era, in the 1900 Olympics.
Just as significantly, Neeraj became only the second Indian to bag an Olympic gold in individual events, after shooter Abhinav Bindra’s top-of-podium finish in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
India thus signed off the Tokyo Games with seven medals – one gold, two silver and four bronze medals.
It’s their best tally since the 2012 London Olympics, when they bagged six medals – 2 silver and 4 bronze.
Starting off with two superb throws of over 87 metres, the 23-year-old Neeraj led from the very beginning. Though he managed under 77 metres with his third throw and fouled the next two, he was never challenged.
The first Indian to strike gold in the IAAF World Under-20 Championships, Neeraj went on to claim top honours in the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Track & Field Championships as well as South Asian Games.
