After Neeraj Chopra hurls gold, his village erupts in joy

Mukesh Tandon

Panipat, October 4

Thirty-seven days after Olympic golden boy Neeraj Chopra created history in the World Athletics Championship at Budapest, his native village Khandra erupted in celebrations once again, as he clinched a gold medal in javelin throw in the Asian Games at Hangzhou today.

Family members and villagers watched the finals on a big screen. As he won the medal, the family began distributing ‘laddoos’ among people gathered in the hall.

They had their share of anxious moments when Neeraj’s first throw was cancelled due to a technical reason. As he threw the javelin at 88.88 metres, people began clapping and whistling to celebrate the moment. Sweets were offered to his grandfather Dharam Singh Chopra and father Satish Chopra.

“Neeraj has promised to double the medals this year, and he has started fulfilling the promise by clinching the medal today,” said Bheem Chopra, his uncle.

Brimming with pride, his grandfather said: “It is a proud moment for us, the village and for every countryman that Neeraj has bagged a gold medal for the country.” Thanking people for their blessings, he said it was a “doubly happy moment for us as both gold and silver medals have come to India.” His father said it was a proud moment for the country as javelin players — Neeraj and Kishore Jena — won medals for the country.

With 19 medals, state players shine

Haryana’s athletes have been delivering a spectacular performance at the ongoing Asiad, securing a total of 19 of 81 medals won by the Indian contingent so far. Of the 655 athletes representing India, 85 hail from the state.