Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday congratulated javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and said it was the result of the athlete’s hard work.
Chopra on Saturday became only the second Indian to win an individual gold at the Olympics, surpassing a considerable distance to clinch the country’s first track-and-field sports medal.
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The 23-year-old athlete from Khandara village near Panipat in Haryana stunned the athletics world with a second round throw of 87.58m in the final.
In a video message, Dhami said, “It is for the first time in the history of independent India that the country has won a gold medal in the athletics event at the Olympics. It is the result of both Neeraj Chopra’s hard work and his military discipline.”
“As the son of a soldier, I am extremely emotional at this moment. I also congratulate his family for their unique achievement,” he said.
Chopra won the country’s seventh medal and first gold medal at this Olympics and joined shooter Abhinav Bindra (2008 Beijing Games) as India’s individual gold winner.
Earlier, Pushkar Singh Dhami congratulated India women’s hockey team player Vandana Kataria and her teammates for their stellar performance in the Tokyo Olympics and asked them to keep their morale up.
Speaking virtually to Kataria, who hails from Haridwar, Dhami said her performance has made the country and the state proud and on her return extended an invitation to meet her at his official residence in Dehradun.
He said that a new policy is being formulated to promote sports in the state, under which all possible support will be given to the sports talents.
Dhami, who has already announced a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh for Kataria for her performance in the Tokyo Olympics, said she would also be honored with the Tilu Rauteli Award.
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