Legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar and former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag lavished praise on javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra after his sensational show in the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday.
Chopra created history as he became the first from the country to win a gold in track and field in the Olympics. He threw a distance of 87.58m in the ongoing Tokyo Olympics to pick the gold.
"Neeraj sent the javelin to the sun. India shines brighter today because of you, Neeraj. Your javelin carried the tricolour all the way and made it flutter with the pride of every Indian. What a moment for Indian sport!" Tendulkar tweeted.
Sehwag thanked Chopra for giving every Indian a moment of joy. The former Indian batsman termed the javelin thrower a "rocket".
"Woooww! He's a rocket, it's a Gold and there are a billion tears of joy. Such days don't come easy. The first Indian ever to win an Olympic medal in Athletics and it is a #GoldMedal . #NeerajChopra you champion. We are so proud of you. Thank you for giving us so much joy," Sehwag tweeted.
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya also lauded the "champion" Chopra for his historic feat.
"Champion #NeerajChopra, you beauty Take a bow," Hardik tweeted.
Former Indian batsman Suresh Raina hailed Chopra for his "tremendous performance" in the showpiece event.
"Heartiest congratulations to you @Neeraj_chopra1 for bringing the first GOLD home. Proud of your tremendous performance! Jai HindFlag of IndiaClapping hands sign #Cheer4India #JavelinThrow #Olympics," Raina tweeted.
Neeraj began his quest for a medal with a massive throw of 87.03 meters and was leading the pack after the end of the first attempt. He bettered it with the second throw of 87.58m.
While he wasn't able to improve any further, it was enough to get him the coveted medal. He is now the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra to win a gold medal in individual events
Neeraj had announced his arrival in style in the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday when he threw a monstrous throw of 86.65m and automatically qualified for the final after just his first attempt.
( With inputs from ANI )
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