NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lauded Neeraj Chopra as "excellence personified" after he became the first Indian track-and-field athlete to win two successive Olympic medals with a silver in men's javelin throw.

Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem set a new Olympic record for his country's maiden individual gold at the showpiece event. Nadeem managed an astonishing 92.97m in his second attempt to set the bar too high for the rest of the field, including Chopra, who covered 89.45m in the second round to win the silver.

In a post on X, the prime minister said, "Neeraj Chopra is excellence personified! Time and again he's shown his brilliance. India is elated that he comes back with yet another Olympic success."

He added, "Congratulations to him on winning the Silver. He will continue to motivate countless upcoming athletes to pursue their dreams and make our nation proud."