‘Billion tears of joy’: India revels in Neeraj Chopra’s ‘golden moment’ in Tokyo

With his spectacular throw of 87.58m in the men's javelin event final in Tokyo, 23-year-old Neeraj Chopra ended India's 100-year wait for a track and field medal in the Olympics.

By: Trends Desk
New Delhi | Updated: August 8, 2021 10:41 AM IST

5 min read

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Neeraj Chopra earned India's only gold at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Netizens showered Neeraj Chopra with glowing praises after the star javelin thrower became only the second Indian to win an individual gold in the Olympics.

With his spectacular throw of 87.58m in the men’s final in Tokyo, the 23-year-old son of a farmer from Haryana’s Khandra village ended India’s 100-year wait for a track and field medal in the Olympics. With his feat, Chopra joined shooter Abhinav Bindra (2008 Beijing Games) in an elite and very hard-to-reach club of India’s individual gold winners in the showpiece tournament.

This was India’s seventh medal and first gold in this Olympics.

Earlier in the day, wrestler Bajrang Punia earned the sixth medal for India, winning a bronze medal with a dominating performance.

Glued to TV screens, Indians erupted in joy with many hailing the young gold medallist as a “hero” and ‘legend’. Many said listening to the national anthem at the arena made them emotional.

Here’s a look at some of the reactions:

https://twitter.com/alifazal9/status/1423981226851852294

https://twitter.com/GitaSKapoor_/status/1423983184291586051

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