It was a historic moment for Indian athletes when Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal in the javelin at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. The “Golden Boy of Indian Athletics” went down in history as the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal at the prestigious tournament.
Neeraj’s best performance came head-to-head with his international rivals early 28 August. He showed extraordinary strength by scoring a magnificent 88.17 meters in the second attempt and maintained his dominance throughout the event.
This performance not only won Niraj a gold medal, but also made him a pioneer of Indian sports at an international level.
Another strong competitor, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, followed Neeraj’s lead with the silver medal. Nadim, who previously shined on the Commonwealth Games stage, deserves praise with his 87.82m throw.
The third place on the podium is Jakub Vadlejch from the Czech Republic, who showcased his prowess with a best throw of 86.67 meters.
The other two Indians in the competition, Kishore Kumar Jena and DP Manu, finished fifth and sixth with their best throws of 84.77m (Jena’s personal best) and 84.14m respectively. Of course, this is the first time three Indians have been in the top six at a major international sporting event.
After the match, he would say: “I thought I was going [to shoot long] on the first shot, but there were some experimental problems with this try. It was because the first shot wasn’t good but I’m pushing myself, I think I’m being careful with my jaw problem and my speed is not 100%, And when my speed is not there, I feel a dip somewhere so that’s what’s left now… to get 100% fit [and throw even further].”.
“I thank all Indians for staying up so late to watch me. This medal is for the whole of India… I became an Olympic champion and now I am a world champion… It shows that we can do anything. All of you, continue to work hard in this way in different fields, we will make our country proud”.
Neeraj’s father, Satish Kumar, spoke clearly about his son’s success and told ANI: “This is a very proud moment for our country as we got a gold medal in the World Championship as well. We will celebrate once Neeraj comes back to India.”
Who is Neeraj Chopra?
Javelin Thrower Neeraj Chopra was born on December 24, 1997 to a farmer family from Kandela village near Panipat, Haryana. He made history by winning India’s first competition and gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics on 7 August. 2021. Graduated from Anand Anglo Vedic College in Chandigarh Dayan.
His mother, Saroj Devi, is a housewife, and his father, Satish Kumar, is a farmer. Due to being overweight, Chopra always encouraged his family to get involved in sports. He then decided to try his luck at the javelin and started training at the Shivaji Stadium in Panipat.
After a year of training, the 23-year-old player was accepted into Tau Devi Lal Sports Center in Panchkula and his trainer Naseem Ahmad placed him in the long-distance running and javelin throw sections.
Tokyo Olympics 2021
On 7 August 2021, Neeraj Chopra became India’s first Olympic gold medalist in athletics. His personal record of 87.58m brought India a second gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. He is currently the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra to win a gold medal at an event.
He qualified for Tokyo Olympics with a time of 87.86m in ACNE league. He broke the 85m Olympic qualifying score on his fourth attempt and took first place at the world championships.
started with the 81.76 m javelin throw and progressed after each throw. He scored 82 meters in his second attempt and 82.57 in his third attempt.
