A first gold medal in Olympic track and field for a nation of 1.3 billion, its first in any sports since a shooting title in 2008, had to be cause for celebration.
Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra entered India’s history book by delivering a first-ever Olympic track and field gold medal for his country as the Tokyo Games athletics competition drew to a close.
“It feels unbelievable,” Chopra said on Saturday as his overjoyed team-mates and coaches watched from the stands devoid of fans because of COVID-19 restrictions. The 23-year-old claimed the athletics gold with an 87.58-metre second throw.
It ended India’s 121-year wait for an athletics gold. The previous best had been two silver medals won at the 1900 Paris Games.
“This is our first Olympic medal for a very long time, and in athletics, it is the first time we have gold, so it’s a proud moment for me and my country,” he added.
India’s only previous medals in Olympic track and field were two silvers won by Norman Pritchard in the 200 meters and the 200-meter hurdles at Paris in 1900.
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.
He set a new benchmark in Tokyo, holding off Jakub Vadlejch (86.67) and Vitezslav Vesely (85.44), both of the Czech Republic.
India has won eight Olympic gold medals in field hockey, more than any other nation, and the return of the men’s team to the medal podium at the Tokyo Games — a bronze — after a 41-year drought prompted widespread celebrations.
A first gold medal in track and field is set to make Chopra a star in India.