IT'S GOLD: Neeraj Chopra ends India's 100-year wait for Olympic medal in athletics

Neeraj Chopra wins gold medal in Javelin throw, marking the nation's first gold in the ongoing Olympics tournament.
Source: Twitter
Source: Twitter
Updated on

Tokyo

Neeraj Chopra delivered India's elusive Olympic medal in athletics and ends a wait of 100 years by winning gold medal, here on Saturday. 

The Czech Republic duo of Jakub Vadlejch (86.67m) and Vitezslav Vesely (85.44m) completed the podium with silver and bronze respectively.

A pre-tournament medal contender, the 23-year-old Chopra fuelled country's expectations by topping the qualification round with a stunning first round throw of 86.59m.

Three track and field athletes were part of the five-member Indian team at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium -- the other two being wrestlers.

Since then, no Indian has won a medal in athletics.

A farmer's son from Khandra village near Panipat in Haryana who took up athletics to shed flab, Chopra can script history by winning the elusive medal, which the likes of late Milkha Singh and P T Usha let it slip from their grasp in 1964 and 1984 editions.

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