Neeraj Chopra Wins First- Ever Olympic Gold Medal In Athletics for India 

Indian Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has created history on Saturday by winning first ever Olympic medal in athletics Javelin throw. With this win Neeraj has become India’s second ever individual Olympic gold medallist after shooter Abhinav Bindra. He registered a best attempt of 87.58m to win the gold medal. His historic win has ended India’s more than 100-year wait for a track and field medal in the Olympics.

“History has been scripted at Tokyo! What @Neeraj_chopra1has 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,” tweeted PM Modi.  “Today is truly a momentous day for Indian athletics and for the country. Nothing is bigger than an Olympic medal, that too a gold. We have waited for long but finally achieved our goal,” Athletics Federation of India president Adille Sumariwalla. 

The 23-year-old Neeraj hails from Khandra village near Panipat in Haryana. No Indian has won a medal in athletics since the country started taking part in the Olympic Games in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium. Chopra has done something which the likes of late Milkha Singh and P T Usha could not do in 1960 and 1984 editions. 

This is India’s 7th medal at Tokyo 2020, the best ever medal haul for India at a single edition of the Games.  So far, India has won two silver and four bronze medals — Mirabai Chanu and Ravi Dahiya (Silver) and PV Sindhu, Lovlina Borgohain, Bajrang Punia (bronze)  and the Indian men’s hockey team (Bronze) in the ongoing Tokyo Olympics. With this, India has surpassed the previous best haul of six medals achieved in the 2012 London Games.

(With PTI Inputs)