“First event of the year, first position”: PM Modi praises Neeraj Chopra on clinching gold at Doha Diamond League

New Delhi [India], May 6 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday heaped praise on javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra after he bagged the gold medal at the 2023 Wanda Diamond League in Doha.

The Olympic champion recorded a distance of 88.67 m in his first attempt in the men’s javelin throw and secured the first position in the Diamond League.

The Prime Minister congratulated him for achieving the first position in the “first event of the year” and also extended best wishes for the upcoming contests.

“First event of the year and first position! With the World lead throw of 88.67m, @Neeraj_chopra1 shines at the Doha Diamond League. Congratulations to him! Best wishes for the endeavours ahead,” tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur also lauded Neeraj Chopra after the Tokyo Olympic gold medallist claimed the Doha Diamond League 2023.

In a tweet, Anurag Thakur said, “Neeraj Chopra wins! With a thunderous throw of 88.67m, he dominated the Doha Diamond League and brought glory home. A true champion who has made the nation proud again. Congratulations Neeraj on this stupendous win!”

Neeraj Chopra didn’t waste time to leave his mark after his recovery from injury as he claimed the Doha Diamond League 2023.

Neeraj missed the action due to an injury but, from his very first attempt it seemed as if he picked up his form right where he left off. Chopra’s first throw was 88.67 which was a great way to start the new season. His first throw was enough to seal the victory for him but he still tried to push ahead.

After his throw, it was clearly evident that Chopra was not satisfied despite making a decent start. He was leading the chart after the first attempt.

Chopra’s second throw resulted in an 86.04m distance, maintaining his lead in the charts over Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch, who was able to reach 88.63m, and world champion Anderson Peters, whose best attempt is 85.88m.

Chora had the lead by only four centimetres. In his third attempt, Neeraj threw the spear at a distance of 85.47m. He still held on to the lead despite the decrease in distance from his first attempt.

The Czech Republic thrower moved up to second place, overtaking Anderson Peters. Neeraj made a foul on his fourth attempt.

In his second last attempt, he touched a distance of 84.37m. On the other hand, Vadlejch still could not surpass Chopra’s distance (88.47m) in his fifth attempt. Anderson Peters fell behind in his fifth attempt as he registered a distance of 82.22m.

In the end, Neeraj claimed victory with the distance he covered in his first attempt. However, the Olympic gold medalist fell short of breaching the 90-meter mark.