Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra scripted history by becoming the first ever Indian athlete to win a Gold medal in the World Athletics Championships with a massive throw of 88.17 metres in the javelin event.
Neeraj’s spectacular throw at the World Championship at Budapest in Hungary in the early hours of August 28 came in his second attempt as he established his dominance over the competitors.
Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won the silver medal with a throw of 87.82 meters while the bronze went to Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, whose best throw measured 86.67 meters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Neeraj Chopra for his extraordinary feat.
“The talented @Neeraj_chopra1 exemplifies excellence. His dedication, precision and passion make him not just a champion in athletics but a symbol of unparalleled excellence in the entire sports world. Congrats to him for winning the Gold at the World Athletics Championships,” PM Modi tweeted on X (formerly Twitter).
The talented @Neeraj_chopra1 exemplifies excellence. His dedication, precision and passion make him not just a champion in athletics but a symbol of unparalleled excellence in the entire sports world. Congrats to him for winning the Gold at the World Athletics Championships. pic.twitter.com/KsOsGmScER
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 28, 2023
Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur hailed the 25-year-old athlete’s feat as a watershed moment in Indian sporting history and expressed his pride and appreciation for the remarkable achievement.
“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,” news agency ANI cited Neeraj’s father Satish Kumar as saying.
