At the Olympic Games, Neeraj Chopra won GOLD in the men’s javelin throw. He has now become the first Indian athlete to ever win a gold medal. Despite the high hopes of some of the champions, such as Mary Kom and PV Sindhu, India has yet to win a gold medal this season. And then Chopra’s Golden Throw changed all of that today.
He became only the second Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympics, outperforming the field by a wide margin to become the country’s first track-and-field medalist.
History was Made Today
He had qualified for the finals with a spectacular throw of 86.65m in his first try on Wednesday, which put him in first place in the qualification round.
Today, Chopra topped the list with a throw of 87.03 meters on his first attempt, followed by Weber Julian (85.30 meters), Vadlejch Jakub (83.98), Vetter Johannes (82.52 meters), and Katkavets Aliaksei (82.49) of Belarus.
Chopra improved on his first-round mark with a second-round score of 87.58m, the highest in the finals. In the third round, though, he finished with 76.79 meters. Competitors were unable to match his score in subsequent attempts. Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic took silver with 86.67 meters and Vitezslav Vesely of the Czech Republic took bronze with 85.44 meters.
Vetter Johannes, the gold medal favorite and 2017 world champion, was eliminated after the third round, with a final best of 82.52m. This was a huge relief for India. Neeraj Chopra has won the first gold medal in track and field in India in 100 years.
About the Star Javelin Thrower
The 23-year-old son of a farmer from Khandra village near Panipat in Haryana stunned the sports world with a second-round throw of 87.58 in the finals, ending India’s 100-year wait for an Olympic track and field medal.
In this Olympics, he became the country’s seventh medalist and first gold medalist. He has now joined the select and difficult to join the club of India’s individual gold winners in the showcase, along with shooter Abhinav Bindra (2008 Beijing games).
India has now exceeded its previous highest haul of six medals from the 2012 London Olympics. India has won three silver and four bronze medals in addition to Chopra’s gold.
