3 reasons why Neeraj Chopra is the best Indian Olympic athlete of all time

Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian athlete to win a silver medal at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics. The javelin throw star recorded a season-best throw of 89.45m in his second attempt.

While Chopra won the gold medal with an 87.58m throw in the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, his 89.45m throw was not enough to win him another gold this time. Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem stunned everyone with an Olympic record throw of 92.97m in his second attempt.

Although Neeraj Chopra could not win the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, here are three reasons why he is the best Indian Olympic athlete of all time.

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#1 Neeraj Chopra is the only Indian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal

The biggest reason why Neeraj is the best Indian Olympic athlete of all time is that he owns an Olympic gold medal in athletics, a feat that no other Indian can boast about. Back in the Tokyo Olympics 2020, Neeraj scripted history by becoming the first Indian to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics.

He qualified for the finals by topping his group with an 86.65m throw, and in the finals, his second throw covered a distance of 87.58m, which was enough to win a gold medal in Tokyo. With that throw, Neeraj also became the youngest Indian Olympic gold medalist and the first Asian to win an Olympic gold medal in javelin throw.

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#2 Neeraj Chopra now adds a silver medal to his Olympic tally

It is rare to see Indian fans disappointed when an athlete wins a silver medal. However, Neeraj has set such high standards that quite a few fans were disappointed to see him finish second at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Nevertheless, finishing with a silver medal is not a bad result, especially in the Paris Olympics, where India has won four bronze medals only. With this silver medal, Neeraj has become the first Indian athlete to have a gold and a silver medal to his name in the Olympics.

Four other Indian athletes, namely Norman Pritchard, Sushil Kumar, PV Sindhu, and Manu Bhaker have won two Olympic medals for India. However, none of them won a gold medal.

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#3 Neeraj Chopra looked off-color and still bettered his Tokyo 2020 performance

The Olympics happen once every four years. It is tough for any athlete to maintain the same fitness and composure in two successive Olympics. Neeraj Chopra upped his game during the break between two Olympics, and he improved so much after the gold medal win that even on a day where he looked off-color, he threw a season-best 89.45m.

Every athlete has an off day now and then, but very few can bring their best to the table on almost every occasion. Neeraj is one of them.

As mentioned ahead, Neeraj won the gold medal in Tokyo with a throw of 87.58m, and he looked in top form that day. The javelin thrower had to settle for silver despite a better throw this time. Nevertheless, it is still a major achievement for Neeraj and the entire country.