Neeraj Chopra scripts history at Tokyo Olympics 2020; wins gold with best throw of 87.58m

Neeraj Chopra on Saturday scripted history at the Tokyo Olympics as he won India's first gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and ended his nation's 100 years long wait of winning a medal in athletics in the mega-event. Not only this he became the first athlete to win gold for India at the Tokyo Olympics and became the second-ever individual athlete to win a gold medal for India at the mega-event. Shooter Abhivan Bindra was the first individual athlete who won a gold medal for India. Bindra had won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Coming back to the match, Neeraj Chopra brought his A-game from the first round itself. In the first round, Neeraj Chopra broke his qualification record and his throw was 87.03 m, the second throw was 87.58m, and the third throw was 76.79m. Neeraj Chopra's second throw moved him to the second round. In the second round, Chopra's first two throws were foul and the final throw was around 84 m. 

With this, the country surpassed the previous best haul of six medal achieved in the 2012 London Games. Czech Republic throwers Jakub Vadlejch (86.67m) and Vitezslav Vesely (85.44m) took the silver and bronze respectively. 

Neeraj Chopra breaks India's 100-year wait for Olympic medal In Athletics

A pre-tournament medal contender, the 23-year-old, Neeraj Chopra fuelled the country's expectations by topping the qualification round with a stunning first-round throw of 86.59m. A PTI report had suggested that if Neeraj Chopra wins, he will deliver India's elusive Olympic medal in athletics and end a wait of 100 years. 

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.

The International Olympic Committee still credits Norman Pritchard's 200m and 200m hurdles silver medals in the 1900 Paris Olympics to India though various research, including the records of then IAAF (now World Athletics), showed that he had competed for Great Britain.

A farmer's son from Khandra village near Panipat in Haryana who took up athletics to shed flab, therefore, Neeraj Chopra scripted 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.

(Image Credits: VPSECRETARIAT - TWITTER)