Neeraj Chopra Exclusive: 'My gold medal will silence those who said India can't win in athletics events'

Neeraj Chopra is today a household name in India. The Javelin thrower is yet to fully come to terms with the magnitude of his achievement at the Tokyo Olympics.

The Olympic gold medallist, the second Indian to achieve the glory in an individual event after shooter Abhinav Bindra, spoke exclusively to Asianet News.

"It is a very good feeling because Abhinav Bindra was the only Indian to win an Olympics gold medal in an individual event. Now, I have joined him. All this seems like a dream. A gold medal in Olympics -- this was my first Olympics -- makes me extremely happy. I used to think about how big Abhinav Bindra's achievement was. Today, it feels nice to be in that position with him," he said.

"In reality, he opened the doors for others to believe that we can win gold at the Olympics level and in individual sports. His contribution in this aspect has been immense. And probably, I walked in his path somewhat today," he added.

He also credited the improved sports facilities in the country for the stellar performance by Indian athletes, including him, at the Olympics.

"For the last 3-4 years, our training camps have been held abroad. We have foreign coaches to train us. A lot of facilities and TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) was there. We received support from SAI (Sports Authority of India). We travel abroad. The federation arranged foreign coaches for us. So we have been getting all forms of support. I feel that I have been able to make use of those facilities and delivered this result. I hope I continue to receive support like this so that I perform better," he said.

Neeraj also said that his gold medal had busted the myth that India can't win in athletics.