87.58 metres
DISTANCE NEERAJ CHOPRA THREW THE JAVELIN TO WIN GOLD AT TOKYO OLYMPICS
● As a plump kid Neeraj took to athletics as he was under tremendous pressure from his joint family of 17 to lose weight.
TRIBUTE TO LEGEND: Neeraj Chopra dedicated the gold to legendary athlete Milkha Singh who passed away earlier this year due to Covid-19. “Milkha Singh wanted to hear the national anthem in a stadium. He is no longer with us but his dream has been fulfilled,” Chopra said.
It feels unbelievable. It is the first time India has won a gold in athletics, so I feel very good. We have just one gold here in other sports. It's a proud moment for me and my country.
— NEERAJ CHOPRA, Gold medallist, Javelin, Olympics
Tokyo, Aug. 7: Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Saturday became only the second Indian to win an individual gold in the Olympics, out-performing the field by some distance to immortalise himself as the first track-and-field Games medal-winner for the country.
The 23-year-old son of a farmer from Khandra village near Panipat in Haryana produced a second round throw of 87.58 metres in the finals to stun the athletics world and end India’s 100-year wait for a track and field medal in the Olympics.
Brimming with confidence with hardly any nerves on display in his debut at the Games, Chopra walked in like a rockstar to make the Tokyo Games India’s best ever Olympic outing in what was the country’s final competitive outing at the ongoing edition.
His was the country’s seventh medal and first gold in this Olympics and he joined shooter Abhinav Bindra (2008 Beijing Games) in an elite and very hard-to-reach club of India’s individual gold winners in the showpiece.
With this, the country surpassed the previous best haul of six medals achieved in the 2012 London Games. Apart from Chopra’s gold, India have won to silver and four bronze medals.
Czech Republic throwers Jakub Vadlejch (86.67m) and Vitezslav Vesely (85.44m) took the silver and bronze respectively.
Chopra came into the final as a medal contender after topping the qualification round on Wednesday with a stunning first round throw of 86.59m. But few would have thought that he would bludgeon his way to gold in such a dominant fashion at the grandest of the stage.
Just like in the qualification round three days back, Chopra began with a bang by sending the spear to a distance of 87.03m and then improved it to 87.58m, his best of the day which none in the field could match.
His third throw was a poor
76.76m, he then fouled his next two attempts before a final effort of 84.24m.
By the time the Nordic javelin left his right hand in his second attempt, he knew that it was going the farthest among all and he raised both his arms in jubilation, confident that the job had been done.
After the end of the event, Chopra ran towards the Indian contingent in the stands with raised fists and wrapped himself with the tri-colour to run a short lap of honour.
Season leader and pre-tournament gold favourite Johannes Vetter of Germany, who had thrown the spear to 90m plus distances seven times between April and June, was shockingly eliminated after the first three throws as he was placed ninth with a best effort of 82.52m.
Top eight after the first three throws get three more attempts while the remaining four in the 12man final are eliminated. Chopra even clapped for Vetter, who is his friend off the field, when he came out for his attempt but it was just not the German’s day.
No Indian has won a medal in athletics since the country started taking part in the Games in
1920 in Antwerp, Belgium.
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