Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra’s historic gold-winning feat in the Olympics was listed as one of the 10 magical moments of track and field in the Tokyo Games by the World Athletics.
The 23-year-old clinched the country’s maiden Olympic medal in athletics with a best throw of 87.58m on Saturday to become only the second Indian to win an individual gold in the Games.
“Most keen followers of the sport had heard of Neeraj Chopra before the Olympic Games. But after winning the javelin in Tokyo, and in the process becoming India’s first athletics gold medallist in Olympic history, Chopra’s profile sky-rocketed,” the global sports governing body said on its website.
The World Athletics noted that Mr. Chopra had 1,43,000 followers on Instagram before the Olympics, but now has a staggering 3.2million followers, making him the most followed track and field athlete in the world.
In a tweet posted after winning the gold in Tokyo, Mr. Chopra said, “Still processing this feeling. To all of India and beyond, thank you so much for your support and blessings that have helped me reach this stage. This moment will live with me forever.”
