Tokyo Olympics: Neeraj’s gold medal is defining moment of Indian athletics, say former greats

Tokyo
Olympics:
Didn’t
know
it
would
be
gold,
feels
unbelievable:
Neeraj
Chopra

Chopra
on
Saturday
became
only
the
second
Indian
to
win
an
individual
gold
in
the
Olympics,
out-performing
the
field
by
some
distance
to
immortalise
himself
as
the
first
track-and-field
medal
winner
from
the
country.

The
23-year-old,
son
of
a
farmer
from
Khandra
village
near
Panipat
in
Haryana,
produced
a
second
round
throw
of
87.58m
in
the
finals
to
stun
the
athletics
world
and
end
India’s
100-year
wait
for
a
track
and
field
medal
in
the
Olympics.

“I
became
emotional
just
after
Neeraj
won
the
gold.
It
is
a
historic
moment
and
of
course
a
defining
one
in
our
athletics
history,”
track
legend
PT
Usha
told
PTI
from
her
home
in
Kerala.

Javelin
thrower
Neeraj
Chopra
creates
history,
wins
first-ever
athletics
gold
for
India
in
Olympics

Asked
if
she
got
emotional
because
she
missed
out
on
a
bronze
in
the
1984
Olympics,
Usha
said,
“Today,
it
was
a
happy
moment
and
we
should
enjoy
this.
I
feel
this
gold
will
take
Indian
athletics
to
another
level.
We
could
not
give
our
athletics
fans
an
athletics
medal
in
Olympics.
I
think
we
have
redeemed
ourselves
with
this
gold
from
Neeraj.”

She,
however,
said
she
was
not
expecting
a
gold
initially
from
Chopra
but
realised
after
his
second
throw
that
he
is
going
to
grab
the
yellow
metal.
India’s
lone
medallist
in
world
championships,
Anju
Bobby
George
agreed
with
Usha
and
said,
it
should
only
be
the
beginning
of
many
good
things
in
Indian
athletics.

“It
is
not
easy
to
win
medal
in
Olympics.
It
is
as
tough
in
World
Championships
but
Olympics
medal
is
special.
So,
it
is
a
watershed
moment
for
Indian
athletics.
My
medal
in
World
Championships
(in
2003)
brought
a
lot
of
changes
in
Indian
athletics
for
the
better.
We
started
winning
medals
in
Commonwealth
Games.
The
same
we
hope
from
the
gold
from
Neeraj.”

Talking
about
the
23-year-old
Chopra,
Anju,
also
a
senior
vice
president
of
the
Athletics
Federation
of
India
(AFI),
said,
“He
is
still
young
and
we
can
expect
a
lot
from
him
in
the
coming
events
and
Olympics.”

Commonwealth
Games
gold
medallist
discus
thrower
Krishna
Poonia
lauded
Chopra
for
his
discipline
and
single-minded
approach
to
achieving
his
goal.

“He
is
such
a
humble
athlete
and
at
the
same
time
he
is
very
discipline
in
his
approach.
He
was
confidence
personified
today
in
the
final.
He
was
not
taking
any
pressure,”
she
said.

GOLDEN
DELIGHT:
India
hails
Neeraj
Chopra
for
historic
gold
medal
at
Tokyo
Olympics

“So,
I
was
confident
that
he
would
win
a
gold
today.
Moreover,
it
was
not
the
day
for
Johannes
Vetter
who
was
struggling
in
the
qualification
round
also,”
said
Poonia
who
finished
sixth
in
the
2012
Olympics.

Legendary
athletes
Sriram
Singh
and
Gurbachan
Singh
Randhawa
also
hailed
Chopra’s
gold
as
a
watershed
moment
in
Indian
athletics.

“We
have
not
been
given
a
single
Olympic
medal
in
athletics
to
our
one
billion
people.
So,
it
is
watershed
moment,”
two-time
Asian
Games
gold
medallist
Sriram,
who
finished
seventh
in
800m
final
in
the
1976
Olympics,
said.

Tokyo
Olympics:
Neeraj
Chopra
wins
Gold
medal
in
Javelin
Throw
–
full
list
of
his
achievements

Randhawa,
who
finished
fifth
in
110m
hurdles
in
the
1964
Tokyo
Olympics,
said
it
was
one
of
the
greatest
sporting
achievements
by
an
Indian.
AFI
President
Adille
Sumariealla
said
the
gold
medal
won
by
Chopra
has
“brought
immense
pride
to
the
Indian
sports
fraternity,
to
the
AFI,
to
me
personally
and
of
course
for
Neeraj
and
his
family”.