President and Prime Minister congratulate Neeraj Chopra on winning the gold medal

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have congratulated Neeraj Chopra for winning the gold medal in the javelin throw event at the Tokyo Olympics. President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted saying that Neeraj Chopra has an unprecedented victory. Your achievement has created history. You have given India a gold medal in track and field for the first time in your first Olympics. Your achievement will inspire our youth. Whole India is excited. Hearty congratulations.

At the same time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also congratulated Neeraj Chopra on this historic achievement by tweeting. PM Modi tweeted, History has been created in Tokyo! What Neeraj Chopra has achieved today will always be remembered. Young Neeraj has done exceptionally well. He played with remarkable passion and showed unparalleled patience. Congratulations to him for winning the gold.

Neeraj Chopra created new history in Indian sports by winning a gold medal in javelin throw at the Tokyo Olympics. Neeraj threw 87.58 meters in his second attempt, which was enough to win the gold medal. This is India’s first medal in Olympic athletics. With this, he ended India’s wait of more than 100 years to win an Olympic medal in athletics. After winning the gold medal, Neeraj took the tricolor around the field and celebrated it. Neeraj, who is considered a strong medal contender even before the Olympics, performed as expected, finishing on top in his first attempt in the qualification with a throw of 86.59m to make it to the finals. In the final, he threw 87.03m in his first attempt and was leading from the start. In the third attempt, he could only throw 76.79 meters while in the fourth attempt he was fouled. He threw 84. 24 meters in the sixth attempt but before that his gold medal was confirmed. Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlech took the silver with a throw of 86.67m, while his country’s Vitjeslav Vesli threw the javelin with a distance of 85.44m and claimed the bronze.

Neeraj is the second Indian to win an individual gold medal from India. Shooter Abhinav Bindra won the gold medal in men’s 10m air rifle at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. India participated in athletics for the first time in the Antwerp Olympics 2020 but since then till Rio 2016, none of its athletes have won a medal. Veterans Milkha Singh and PT Usha missed out by a narrow margin in 1960 and 1984 respectively. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) still records Norman Pritchard’s medals won in the 200m and 200m hurdles at the Paris Olympics 1900 in India’s name, but according to various researches and the International Federation of Athletics Federations (now World Athletics), they then Represented Great Britain.