"Dedicate this medal to Milkha Singh ji, who I could never meet": Neeraj Chopra talks about winning India's first athletics medal in 121 years

India has won a gold medal in Athletics. Neeraj Chopra is the man who made it possible. After a century-long wait, the elusive Olympic medal in athletics has come to India. And it's a gold medal that has come on the very last day at the 2021 Olympics.

Neeraj Chopra's gold not only ends the wait for an athletics medal, butit also takes India's medal tally at the Tokyo Summer Games to 7. It is India's best medal tally ever at the Summer Games.

The 23-year-old athlete from Haryana set the mark high from the very first attempt. He bettered his qualification throw with a massive 87.03m throw to begin proceedings. He did even better on his second attempt when he threw the javelin 87.58m long.

The hot favorite to win the competition, Germany's Johannes Vetter, struggled to find form and bowed after the first three throws. The rest of the field could not keep up with Chopra. His 87.58m throw was enough for the Indian to take home the top prize.

HISTORY. MADE.Neeraj Chopra of #IND takes #gold in the #Athletics men’s javelin final on his Olympic debut!He is the first Indian to win an athletics medal and only the second to win an individual medal!@WorldAthletics | #StrongerTogether | #Tokyo2020 | @WeAreTeamIndia pic.twitter.com/zBtzHNqPBE

— Olympics (@Olympics) August 7, 2021

An elated Neeraj Chopra first bowed down and thanked the track, and then with an Indian flag flying over his shoulders lapped the National Stadium.

Speaking of his historic triumph at the Olympics in Tokyo, Neeraj Chopra said:

“I didn’t think that [winning a gold] but I wanted to do something special. I was feeling good. I was content after the qualifying round. The training also was good these past 3 days. I thought I would get my PB, especially after the 2nd attempt, but I don’t know what happened. But, I have this [a gold medal] so that is important.”

Neeraj Chopra was ahead of the rest of the field. His best and second-best throws were better than anyone else in the finals. When asked about his thoughts before and after the 2nd attempt, Neeraj said:

“I thought I had gotten my personal best. Somehow it didn’t happen. Till the distance was not known I thought I had bettered my personal.”

He further added:

“[After the 2nd attempt] I was thinking of my personal best but I overdid and the next few throws were not good. The last one was stable. But the gold medal is more important. I’ll get plenty of chances for the national best.”

Neeraj Chopra dedicates the medal to former athletes

This medal is a special one for India. Many have come and gone but an athletics medal has always been out of India's reach. When asked who Neeraj Chopra would dedicate this medal to, he said:

“I was in Portugal when Milkha Singh ji passed away. I was very sad. I had never met him. So, I wanted to meet him after winning an Olympic medal. It’s sad that he’s not with us any longer. Hopefully, he’s happy up there. His dream is true today. This is also for other athletes like PT Usha who missed the medals by the barest of margins. I hope they’re happy.”

Neeraj Chopra was also quick to thank his team who have worked with him throughout his journey. He added:

“Klaus Bartonietz and my physio Ishan Marwaha supported me. They were with me even in Sweden. I want to thank people who supported me to compete in competitions outside India like TOPS, SAI, JSW Sports. I was not getting any competition after my injury but the tournaments in 2021 helped me a lot."

He further added:

"A lot of people said that he’s gone there but now not competing in competitions but my focus was always on the Olympics and I think have answered all those people so they’d be happy.”

Any athlete who competes at the Olympics dreams of hearing his national anthem play after they've won their event. When asked how the Indian national anthem felt from the top of the podium, Neeraj Chopra said:

“The hard work of the past 5 years, all the injuries and struggles seemed small in that moment. Whatever I faced I thought was worth it. I was afraid I might start crying while the National Anthem plays, but that didn’t happen.”

The hard work has indeed paid off. Neeraj Chopra made the headlines, 5 years back, when he created the U20 world record in Poland. In 2021, he is again in the news for winning a gold medal.

Apart from the headlines, there is another place where Neeraj has made a mark - the hearts of a billion people. An entire nation cherishes its newest sporting icon and hopes to see him for many more years to come.