Neeraj Chopra: It was his second throw in the Men’s Javelin final when he threw, turned back, and promptly celebrated it. The big screen showed that he threw 87.58m.
Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to win the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday evening. The Indian achieved the feat in the men’s javelin throw finals, after defeating the likes of world number one Johannes Vetter. This was also India’s first medal in athletics in the history of Olympics.
Neeraj kicked-off the proceedings with a gigantic 87.03m and then aced it up in the second attempt by reaching the 87.58m mark. However, the third and fourth attempt by the Indian didn’t count. In the fifth and final attempt, Neeraj threw 84.24m.
Neeraj’s opening 87.03m was enough to secure him the yellow metal at the Tokyo Olympics as none of the twelve participants touched the mark.
The reaction of the Indian athlete will remain etched in the history of Indian sports. A moment you just cannot forget. The Indian had his supporters in the stands at Tokyo, who were hailing him while trying to capture the moment.
Let us relive Neeraj Chopra’s epic reaction after his monstrous throw:
With the win, he became the first Indian to win a Gold medal in the field and athletics.
The Indian came into the competition as one of the favourite and he truly lived up to the billing. Right from his first throw, he dominated the show. He threw 87.03 with his first throw.
Celebrations erupted at Neeraj Chopra’s hometown – Khandra village in Haryana’s Panipat district-
The 23-year old had beaten Germany’s Johannes Vetter, who finished at second place with an 85.64m throw and he is one of the favorites for the medal.
Neeraj serves as Junior Commissioned Officer in Indian Army, will throw the spear as long as possible in the final event. The 23-year old has recorded his best throw of 88.07m and bettered that performance in the final, he has won India its first Olympic medal in track and field.
