Neeraj Chopra, an Indian javelin thrower, has already made history despite his youth by becoming the nation's first and only track and field athlete to win an Olympic medal, and that too a gold.

After shooter Abhinav Bindra's triumph in the 10m air rifle event at Beijing 2008, Neeraj Chopra's gold medal at Tokyo 2020 became India's second individual Olympic victory.

Neeraj Chopra entered the men's javelin competition at the Tokyo Olympics as, at best, a dark horse in a competitive field that included gold medalist Keshorn Walcott from London 2012, reigning world champion Anderson Peters, and overwhelming favourite Johannes Vetter.

But when it came time for the main event, the Indian much improved. Neeraj Chopra won the qualifying round with a throw of 86.65 metres, surpassing Vetter's 85.64 metres.

Neeraj Chopra was never seriously challenged by Vetter for the championship; the German battled and fell short of the final eight, while Chopra dominated the competition from start to finish.

where is Neeraj Chopra now

In the Panipat district of Haryana's Khandra village, where Neeraj resides with a combined family of 19, there were festivities. The 24-year-old javelin thrower gave his greatest effort on Sunday, throwing 88.13 metres to place second, and the entire hamlet was glued to their televisions.

Neeraj Chopra Olympic gold

Chopra made his Olympic debut on August 4, 2021, representing India in the Japan National Stadium. He had the best throw in his qualifying group, 86.65 metres, which earned him a spot in the final. 

Chopra became the first Indian Olympian to win a gold medal in athletics and the first Indian Olympic medalist in athletics following independence on August 7 when he threw 87.58 metres in the final.

With Chopra's victory, India finished the competition with a total of eight medals, breaking its previous record of six medals from the 2012 London Olympics.

Chopra's effort in Tokyo propelled him to second place overall in the men's javelin throw rankings.

Chopra also followed Abhinav Bindra, who won the gold medal in the men's 10 m air rifle event at the 2008 Summer Olympics, becoming the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal. He honoured former Indian Olympian sprinters Milkha Singh and P. T. Usha by dedicating his victory to them.

Chopra is allegedly the first Indian to win an Olympic medal in track and field, but this claim is debatable. Norman Pritchard competed at the 1900 Paris Olympics while India was still ruled by the British, but the International Olympic Committee and Indian Olympic Association both recognise him as the country's first-ever track and field medalist.

Conclusion

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