Neeraj Chopra wins first ever athletics gold for India in Olympics making history

23-year-old Javelin thrower, Neeraj Chopra, creates history by winning the first ever Olympic gold medal in athletics for India. He threw a magnificent distance of 87.58 meters which remained unbeaten in the Men’s Javelin Throw Finals and gave India its first and only gold medal in Tokyo 2020.

Neeraj Chopra wins first ever athletics gold for India in Olympics making history
[Courtesy: Reuters]

After being denied the highest honour twice, India succeeded in echoing her National Anthem in the Olympic village on the nation’s final appearance.

The Haryana boy began at the top of the list from the very first round with a throw of 87.01 meters. His second throw brought him the gold winning score of 87.58 meters. The following throws failed to cross the 85 m mark, although that never jeopardized his dominance.

Chopra defeated the 38-year-old current world champion, Vítězslav Veselý, of the Czech Republic who bagged the bronze. Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic came second with a throw of 86.67 meters, which was still less than India’s second best throw.

Chopra had qualified from Group A at the top of the list with a throw of 86.65m. Group B was topped by Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan and many predicted him as a worthy contender,

Nadeem ended at the fifth position with 84.62m in the finals. He mentioned in an interview that he considered Neeraj Chopra a star and was inspired by him.

This is the Second Individual Olympic Gold for India after Abhinav Bindra won it in Beijing 2008. For the 23 year old, it is his 8th International gold medal. He won two golds in 2018 Asian Games and the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

India in Tokyo 2020

With the final medal from India’s last appearance in Tokyo Olympics 2020, the country ended with a total of 7 medals; 1 gold, 2 silvers and 4 bronze.

Gold

Neeraj Chopra - Men's Javelin Throw

Silver

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu - Women's 49kg Weightlifiting

Ravi Kumar Dahiya - Men's Freestyle Wrestling 57kg

Bronze

Lovlina Borgohain - Women's Welter Weight Boxing 69kg

P. V. Sindhu - Women's Badminton

Indian Men's Hockey Team

Bajrang Punia - Men's Freestyle Wrestling 65kg

The nation holds the 48th position on the Olympics Rank List. For many, this has been the most successful Olympics for India so far.

China is leading the race with 38 golds although the USA holds the highest medals in the second position, i.e, 108. Tokyo Olympics 2020 will come to an end on August 8, 2021, Sunday. 

Author:

Archan Kundu