Asian Games 2023: Neeraj Chopra Wins Gold For India With Season Best Throw Of 88.88m

In a remarkable turn of events, Neeraj Chopra, the world's number one javelin thrower from India, achieved yet another historic moment on October 4th. He secured a gold medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, with an impressive season-best throw of 88.88 meters.

This victory not only defended Chopra's title but also solidified his position as the top-ranked javelin thrower globally. He clinched the top spot with an astounding effort of 88.88 meters during his final throw.

In response to his triumph, Neeraj remarked, as reported by the Times of India, "It's unfortunate that some questionable calls have affected other athletes here as well, which isn't fair. Even Jena's second throw was incorrectly marked as a foul. However, I decided not to engage in a debate and instead showed respect to the other athletes, who were enduring delays and cold conditions."

Apart from Neeraj, another Indian athlete, Kishore Jena, secured the silver medal with his best throw reaching an impressive 87.54 meters.

Following these remarkable performances, the Athletics Federation of India shared images of Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena on social media and captioned it as, "JAVELIN... While @Neeraj_chopra1 defends his title, Kishore Kumar Jena wins silver at #AsianGames."

In a series of posts on X lauding the medal winners, PM Modi hailed Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra for winning gold in javelin throw and described it as a historic feat.

''This spectacular victory is the result of his dedication and years of training. May he keep scaling new heights of success. All the best to him,'' the prime minister said while praising silver medallist Kishore Jena as well.

'Our accomplishments in Men's Javelin at Asian Games are remarkable,'' he said.

President Droupadi Murmu also joined in to congratulate Neeraj, expressing her delight at India's highest-ever medal count in the Asian Games. She wrote, "I am delighted that India has won its highest ever number of medals in the Asian Games."

She added, "Congratulations to archers Ojas Pravin Deotale and Jyothi Surekha Vennam for securing gold in the compound mixed team event! My special compliments to Neeraj Chopra for winning gold in the javelin throw event and to the Indian men's team for their gold medal in the 4x400m relay event!"

Union Minister Anurag Thakur extended his heartfelt congratulations to Neeraj on his remarkable victory. He stated on social media, "NEERAJ CAME, HE CONQUERED & CONQUERED AGAIN🔥 Our Champion @Neeraj_chopra1 successfully defends his #AsianGames Title with a Season Best throw of 88.88m in Men's Javelin💪"

Furthermore, he noted, "His medal marks a historic milestone for 🇮🇳, surpassing our previous record of 16 Gold medals (2018 Jakarta) at the #AsianGames, making this our most successful Gold medal tally ever! Absolutely Phenomenal 🫡 #BharatAtAG22."

Meanwhile, India proudly occupies the fourth position in the overall medal tally, having amassed a total of 81 medals to date. Among these, Indian athletes have earned 18 gold medals, 31 silver medals, and 32 bronze medals.