Prime Minister Narendra Modi heaped accolades on India's javelin prodigy, Neeraj Chopra, on Monday, celebrating his historic achievement of clinching India's first-ever gold medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi showered praise on India's javelin sensation, Neeraj Chopra, for securing both his and the nation's inaugural gold medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest. Neeraj delivered a remarkable performance, launching his javelin 88.17 meters on his second attempt, maintaining his lead throughout the competition.
Taking to his official handle on X, PM Modi posted, "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."
Neeraj Chopra etched his name in history as the first Indian to claim an athletics World Championship title with his 88.17m throw in the second attempt. Arshad Nadeem, the Commonwealth Games champion, secured the silver medal with a throw of 87.82 meters. Meanwhile, Jakub Vadlejch from the Czech Republic secured the bronze with a top throw of 86.67 meters.
Kishore Jena, with a personal best of 84.77 meters, finished fifth, while DP Manu, boasting a personal best of 84.14 meters, secured the sixth position.
Neeraj expressed his elation after the victory, stating, "Many said this was the only medal remaining, and today I've won it. Only the Twitter question (achieving the 90-meter mark) remains, but this medal holds greater significance. Now that we have it, there are other upcoming tournaments, and I will invest more effort in them."
He added, "I was fairly confident that I would maintain good results until the last throw because I had been consistent, but there was some difficulty somewhere. I had hoped to execute my first throw well, but there was a technical flaw. When the first throw didn't go as planned, I pushed myself harder. My groin was a concern, although it didn't affect my speed. Thank you for staying up late to support me. This medal belongs to India."
With this achievement, India now boasts medals of all shades at the World Championships. This marks Neeraj's second medal at the World Championships, following his silver win last year. The last Indian to achieve this feat at the esteemed global event was Anju Bobby George, who secured bronze in the women's long jump at the 2003 World Championships.
