Indian sports' 'golden boy' Neeraj Chopra made history as he became the first from the country to clinch an Olympic gold in athletics by winning the men's javelin throw final at the Tokyo Olympics. The 23-year-old returned to India to a rousing welcome at the Delhi airport on Monday. Neeraj Chopra along with other Indian stars who performed exceedingly well in athletics at the Tokyo Olympics were felicitated in Delhi by the Athletics Federation of India on Tuesday. While addressing the media, Neeraj said that he has dream of breaching the 90m-mark in javelin which he aims to fulfill very soon.
"I think I had prepared to throw 90m this time around. In the last couple of years, I was close to the 90m-mark. Javelin is something where if you let it go at the right angle, it will give you an additional 2-3 metres. I am very close to 90m, I just need a little more focus on my angle of release and my technique. I will talk to my coach regarding this," Neeraj Chopra said.
"I couldn't do it this year, but it is okay that I got a medal at the Olympics and that too a gold. 90m is a dream, I will surely fulfill it," Neeraj added.
Neeraj had started the men's javelin throw final with a throw of 87.03m but bettered his own distance with his second attempt of 87.58m.
No other competitor managed to come close or go past Neeraj's first attempt as the 23-year-old won the gold medal at the Tokyo Games.
Neeraj's performance in the Japanese capital was the best by any Indian at the Olympics in athletics.