08 Aug , 2021 By : Kanchan Joshi
Neeraj Chopra hogged the limelight as the whole of India celebrated the javelin thrower's historic feat on day fifteen of the ongoing Tokyo Olympics on Saturday.
The 23-year-old athlete took home the gold medal in the men's javelin throw with a best effort of 87.58m on the final day of throws at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium.
He is the first Indian in over 120 years, and the first athlete from India, to win an Olympic medal in a track-and-field discipline.
Chopra threw his best with only his second attempt and it proved a road too far for the other competitors on the day as he became the first from India to win a gold in track and field in the Olympics.
After Chopra's unprecedented victory at the Olympics, several brands and politicians have come forward announcing the monetary reward and other perks for the javelin thrower.
Neeraj Chopra's full list of rewards:
1. Haryana government announced a Rs6 crore cash reward for Neeraj Chopra and a class I category state government job.
2. Punjab government announced a cash reward of Rs2 crore for Chopra.
3. Manipur cabinet decided to extend a reward of Rs1 crore to the Olympic gold medallist.
4. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also announced a cash reward of Rs1 crore for Chopra.
5. Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings also declared a reward of Rs1 crore for the javelin thrower.
6. Indian airline IndiGo announced that it will offer unlimited free travel for one year to Neeraj Chopra.
7. Businessman Anand Mahindra has promised to gift the gold medallist the upcoming SUV XUV700.
Neeraj Chopra studied at DAV College Chandigarh and joined the Indian army in 2016.
Chopra, a junior officer in the Indian army with the Rajputana Rifles, made his first mark on international athletics with a world junior title in 2016. Two years later, he became the first Indian athlete to win the javelin at the Asian Games and at the Commonwealth Games and was the current National Record Holder with 88.07 Metres throw.
He had also won a gold medal in Junior World Championship and set U 20 World Record with 86.48 metres throw.
He is also a 2018 Arjuna Awardee.
It is the second Gold Medal by an Indian in the individual category of the Olympic Games after Abhinav Bindra, hailing from Punjab, won the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
0 Comment