Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra, who won India’s maiden Olympic gold medal in track and field was felicitated by Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for his historic feat. Chopra was awarded INR 1 crore by the franchise and also received a special CSK jersey with 8758 printed on the back, representing his 87.58m medal-winning javelin throw. With his effort, Chopra became only the second individual Olympic gold medalist after Abhinav Bindra.
Talking about the same CSK CEO, Kasi Viswanathan said, “The entire nation is proud of Neeraj for his stupendous achievement. By becoming the first Indian to win a medal (gold) in track and field, he has set a benchmark. He is an inspiration for the next generation. 87.58 is a number that will forever be etched in Indian sporting history and it’s an honor for us to present this special jersey to Neeraj. We wish he brings more glory to the nation.”
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After receiving the special jersey, Neeraj Chopra said, “Thank you so much for your support and for the prize. It feels good. I never thought that I’ll get so much love after winning gold. It was completely unexpected and it feels good. Hopefully, I’ll work hard and get good results.”
Neetaj Chopra entered his first international competition, the World Youth Championships in Ukraine before winning his maiden international medal in 2014, a silver at the Youth Olympics Qualification in Bangkok.
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At the Tokyo Olympics, Neeraj Chopra topped his qualifying group for entry to the final with a throw of 86.65 metres. Chopra won the gold medal in the final round on 7 August with a throw of 87.58 m in his second attempt. With that, he also became the first post-independence Indian Olympic medallist in athletics. He dedicated his win to veteran athletes Milkha Singh and P. T. Usha, both former Olympians from India.
Chopra’s medal gave India a final total of seven medals at the Games, better the previous tally of six medals at the 2012 London Olympics.
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