This gold medal is for the entire country: Neeraj Chopra

TIL Desk Sports/ Newly-crowned Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra on Monday revealed that he was in pain after his epoch-making performance in the Tokyo Games but it was worth enduring given the historic result he achieved.

At a felicitation ceremony organised by sports minister Anurag Thakur to honour India’s seven medal winners at the Tokyo Olympics after their arrival in New Delhi, the javelin thrower said he knew he had done something special with the second attempt of 87.58m in the finals that fetched him the gold.

“I knew I had done something special, actually I thought I had achieved my personal best. The throw had gone really well,” Chopra said, referring to the 88.07m he achieved earlier this year. “The next day my body felt how special it was with all the pain but it was worth it,” he quipped.

“This medal is for the entire country.”The 23-year-old Army man said the only message he has for the country’s sportspersons right now is never fear.