[Watch] Neeraj Chopra throws 88.17m to bag gold medal in World Athletics Championships 2023

Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra scripted history by clinching the gold medal in the men's javelin throw at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary. It marked the country's first-ever gold in any of the track and field events in the prestigious event.

Although the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist started the event with a foul, a dazzling throw of 88.17m in the second round turned out to be the best of the night.

The moment he released the javelin miles up in the air, a buoyant Chopra was quick to turn around towards the stands, hold his arms aloft, and scream in celebration.

Watch the video here:

Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, the Commonwealth Games champion last year, secured silver with an 87.82m throw, while Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch took the bronze with his throw of 86.67m in the fifth round.

Kishore Jena and DP Manu, the other two Indians in the 12-man javelin throw final, entered the top 8 round. Jena ended fifth with a personal best throw of 84.77m while Manu finished sixth with 84.14m.

Chopra won silver in last year's World Championships at Eugene, behind Grenada's Anderson Peters. A year later, the Haryana-born athlete has added the elusive gold medal to his cabinet.

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Neeraj Chopra adds another feather to decorate his cap

Neeraj Chopra's recent gold in the World Athletics Championships completes a set of major global titles to reckon him as the greatest athlete in Indian history. He has won gold in Olympics (2021), Commonwealth Games (2018), Asian Games (2018) and Diamond League (2022 & 2023).

Chopra's best throw till now is 89.94m, achieved during the Stockholm Diamond League in Sweden on June 30, 2022. It is considered as the national record in India.

Neeraj Chopra is only the second Indian, after former national shooter Abhinav Bindra, to bag a gold in an individual event at the Olympic Games.