Neeraj Chopra created history on Sunday as he secured India's only second medal at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, as he bagged a silver medal in the men's javelin final. The Tokyo Olympic gold medallist managed to register a 88.13m throw in his fourth attempt which helped him get a podium finish and also win India's second medal in the World Championships in 29 years, after Anju Bobby George's bronze medal in 2003.
Speaking to SAI media, Neeraj stated, “I'm feeling really great today to have won a silver medal for the country. Next year again, we have the World Championships and the aim will be to do better there. A big thanks to SAI, the federation and the government who have supported us and given us a foreign coach and sent us abroad for training. I hope in every sport, we keep getting support and we make more progress".
The 24-year-old also explained that the conditions at the venue 'were not good' and the 'wind speed was too high'. He also went on to laud gold medallist Anderson Peters and lauded his 'huge effort'. "While conditions were not good and the wind speed was too high, I was confident I would perform well. I am satisfied with the result, I am happy I was able to win a medal for my country. It might have looked easy but Anderson must have put in a huge effort to cross 90 metres. He is world lead this year, throwing very good throws, several above 90 meters. I am happy he has worked so hard. This is good for me too, I have good competition", he said.
"I didn't feel pressured by the fact that I am an Olympic champion. I believed in myself even after the third throw. I made a comeback and won silver, it felt good. I will try to change the colour of the medal next time", he further added.
{{/usCountry}}"I didn't feel pressured by the fact that I am an Olympic champion. I believed in myself even after the third throw. I made a comeback and won silver, it felt good. I will try to change the colour of the medal next time", he further added.
{{/usCountry}}Also, India's second participant Rohit Yadav finished 10th in the javelin throw final with a best throw of 78.62m. Meanwhile with his podium finish, Neeraj will be aiming to enter the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2022 (CWG) on a strong note and challenge for gold in Birmingham.