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- Published: August 28, 2023 15:07
New Delhi: Neeraj Chopra won the men’s javelin throw event at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, making history for Indian athletics. The first Indian athlete to win gold at this competition cemented his legacy as the “Golden Boy of Indian Athletics.”
Double the titles, double the pride🥇🌍 Neeraj Chopra making history for India as the first to hold both Olympic and World Champion titles. A remarkable feat that will inspire generations to come.
Congratulations, @Neeraj_chopra1 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/tNSPtqPE0q
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 28, 2023
Chopra, who won silver at the World Championships in 2022, seems eager to improve on that result a year later. On Sunday, August 27th, the 25-year-old seemed ready to make history, and he accomplished just that.
Chopra threw an impressive 88.17 metres to claim the gold medal and the title of world champion. Enough to put the competition at bay; Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem gave chase but ultimately finished second at 87.82m to claim silver. Nonetheless, because of their tremendous tosses, both sportsmen have won substantial sums of prize money.
#NeerajChopra makes us #Proud again!!#IndianArmy congratulates Subedar Neeraj Chopra on bagging #GoldMedal🥇 in Men’s #Javelin at World Athletics Championship 2023 in Budapest with a throw of 88.17 meters.@Neeraj_chopra1 pic.twitter.com/mV76vQetWy
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) August 27, 2023
Neeraj took home $70,000 (Rs. 58 lakh) in prize money, while Arshad got $35,000 (Rs (Rs 29 lakh approximate). After the first two, Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic won bronze by throwing a javelin 86.67 metres.
The two other Indians in the tournament also impressed spectators. Kishore Jena and DP Manu placed fifth and sixth with 84.77m and 84.14m throws.
Chopra has joined the ranks of the great Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra as the only other person to concurrently hold the Olympic and World Championships.
Only two other people have ever held the Olympic and World Javelin titles simultaneously; he is one of them. Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic is the only other legendary athlete to have both titles, along with Norway’s Andreas Thorkildsen.
