Last Updated: August 28, 2023, 08:08 IST
PM Modi praises Neeraj Chopra (AP and X)
Neeraj Chopra won a historic maiden gold medal in the men’s javelin throw competition at the World Athletics Championships.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra for winning a historic maiden gold medal in the World Athletics Championships on Sunday, claiming the gold medal in the men’s javelin throw competition in Hungary’s Budapest.
Chopra, who has been bothered by an injury in the last few months, killed the competition in the Hungarian capital with a massive throw of 88.17 in his second turn.
“The talented Neeraj Chopra 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,” PM Modi posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
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. pic.twitter.com/KsOsGmScER— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 28, 2023
Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem took the silver medal, the first World Championship medal for his country, with a distance of 87.82 while Czech Republic’s Yakub Vadlejch retained the bronze he won in Oregon last year, with a distance of 86.67.
The two other Indians in the fray too did their best but could not finish on the podium — Kishore Kumar Jena, who had to overcome visa problems to reach Budapest, finished fifth with a personal best throw of 84.77 while D.P. Manu finished sixth with 84.14.
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“This was great. After the Olympic gold I really wanted to win the world championships. I just wanted to throw further. This is brilliant for the national team but it was my dream to win gold at the world championships,” Chopra said.
“This has been a great championships for India and I am proud to bring another title to my country. I don’t think I am the best thrower here. I wanted to throw more tonight.
“I wanted to throw more than 90m tonight but it needs all parts of the puzzle to be there. I couldn’t put it all together this evening. Maybe next time.”
(With inputs from Agencies)
