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Neeraj Chopra held a country of the India emblem successful each manus and raised it implicit his head.

A half-hour later, the tri-colour was flying astatine the apical of the mast astatine Tokyo's Olympic Stadium and Chopra was lasting atop the medal podium, feeling connected apical of the world.

A archetypal golden medal successful Olympic way and tract for a federation of 1.3 billion, its archetypal successful immoderate sports since a shooting rubric successful 2008, had to beryllium origin for celebration.

Chopra won the javelin rubric astatine the Tokyo Games with a personal-best propulsion of 87.58 metres connected Saturday night, securing the rubric with a propulsion to spare.

"It feels unbelievable," helium said.

"This is our archetypal Olympic medal for a precise agelong time, and successful athletics it is the archetypal clip we person gold, truthful it's a arrogant infinitesimal for maine and my country."

Neeraj Chopra of Team India competes successful the Men's Javelin Throw Final (Getty)

India's lone erstwhile medals successful Olympic way and tract were 2 silvers won by Norman Pritchard successful the 200 metres and the 200-metre hurdles astatine Paris successful 1900.

Historians person debated whether the results for Pritchard should beryllium recorded for India oregon Britain. He was calved successful India to a British assemblage family, moved to London earlier qualifying for the Paris Olympics and aboriginal moved to the U.S. and embarked connected an acting career.

There's nary disputing this one.

Chopra, a inferior serviceman successful the Indian service with the Rajputana Rifles, made his archetypal people connected planetary athletics with a satellite inferior rubric successful 2016. Two years later, helium became the archetypal Indian jock to triumph the javelin astatine the Asian Games and astatine the Commonwealth Games. Chopra's travel began with a extremity to suffer immoderate weight.

"I travel from a farming background," Chopra said.

"I was overweight and wanted to bash immoderate fittingness training.

"Somehow I ended up successful an academy, and picked up javelin throw. The emotion matter started and present I'm present with this medal lasting successful beforehand of you."

Gold medalist Neeraj Chopra of Team India stands connected the podium (Getty)

He acceptable a caller benchmark successful Tokyo, holding disconnected Jakub Vadlejch (86.67) and Vitezslav Vesely (85.44), some of the Czech Republic.

India has won 8 Olympic golden medals successful tract hockey, much than immoderate different nation, and the instrumentality of the men's squad to the medal podium astatine the Tokyo Games — a bronze — aft a 41-year drought prompted wide celebrations.

A archetypal golden medal successful way and tract is acceptable to marque Chopra a prima successful India.

It didn't instrumentality agelong earlier the rewards started flowing successful and helium was connected the telephone with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Cricket is the all-consuming athletics successful India, and each of its powerbrokers were watching.

The Board of Control for Cricket successful India rapidly announced a currency reward for the Olympic medal winners. Military leaders chimed in, too.

Chopra was ranked 4th heading into the Olympics and had immoderate issues with his method successful the blistery and steamy conditions.

"But successful my 2nd propulsion I consciousness it's my PB," helium said. "Finally I'm an Olympic champion."

He knew there'd beryllium plentifulness of sports fans watching connected TV astatine home, flicking betwixt India's cricket trial lucifer successful England and the Olympics.

"So arrogant infinitesimal for India and for maine due to the fact that they're supporting maine a lot," said Chopra, the lad of a farming family. "Today they're each successful beforehand of the TV and they're supporting maine — truthful convey you India."

Neeraj Chopra from India rejoices implicit gold. (Getty)

Former satellite champion Johannes Vetter of Germany was favoured to win, but placed ninth aft the archetypal 3 attempts and was retired of contention early. He had praise for Chopra.

"He's a truly talented guy, ever truly friendly," Vetter said. "I'm blessed for him."

Chopra said he'd fixed everything helium had successful the competition.

"I anticipation aft maine India tin triumph much medals successful athletics," helium said. "I don't person thing near — I gave my 100 per cent connected the field."

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