Neeraj Chopra put in one of the finest performances by an Indian at the Olympics as he won the gold medal in men's javelin at the Tokyo Games on Saturday. Neeraj became only the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra to win an individual gold medal at the Olympics. With a throw of 87.58m in the javelin throw final, Neeraj Chopra entered the history books, becoming the first Indian to win an Olympic gold in athletics. After the 23-year-old's dazzling display helped India register its best-ever medal haul at the Olympics, India men's cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri took to Twitter to lavish praise on Neeraj's "stunning performance".
"Many congratulations @Neeraj_chopra1 on a stunning performance. You have made every Indian proud," Shastri tweeted.
On Saturday, Neeraj's biggest challenger enroute to a gold medal finish, Johannes Vetter of Germany, had a nightmare in Tokyo.
Vetter, who had a season best throw of over 97m, failed to make it to the last eight and was eliminated after the first three throws.
With Vetter out of the fray, Neeraj was all but certain of a podium finish after his first three throws.
The Indian started the final with a throw of 87.03m and bettered it in his second attempt with a throw of 87.58m.
None of the 11 competitors managed to come close to Neeraj's second-best attempt as he dominated the proceedings at the Olympic Stadium in the Japanese capital.
On August 4, Neeraj had marched into the men's javelin throw final by breaching the automatic qualification mark in his very first attempt. The Indian star, with a throw of 86.65, topped the qualification round.
Neeraj's successful outing in Tokyo Games ended India's long wait for an Olympic gold in athletics.