India's 'Golden Boy' Neeraj Chopra scripted history on Sunday when he became the first athlete from the country to claim the gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
Neeraj clinched the gold medal in the Men's Javelin Throw final, with a distance of 88.17 meters. Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem came in second with a distance of 87.82 meters. Post the event, the two were even seen sharing a light moment between each other that won hearts on social media.
"We train so much that when a good throw leaves our hand, we know instinctively. It's the same with Daniel Stahl (discus champion) and Ryan Crouser (shot put winner). With time, you develop the feel for a good throw. I honestly felt the throw had gone much farther, but I was happy with 88.17m," Neeraj said post the event.
Neeraj also thanked the people of India for staying up so late in the night and watch him script history at the World Athletics Championships.
"I want to thank the people of India for staying up late. This medal is for all of India. I'm Olympic champion now I'm world champion. Keep working hard in different fields. We have to make a name in the world."
Advertisement
He even went on to add that winning medals for the country was more important than hitting the 90m mark.
"A 90m throw will happen someday, for sure. I have left it to time and destiny. I have been throwing 88m plus since 2018 and there used to be a time when I would think a lot about it. But now, I think winning medals is more important than hitting 90m," he said.
