Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday congratulated javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra for winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and said it was the result of the athlete's hard work.
Chopra on Saturday became only the second Indian to win an individual gold in the Olympics, outperforming the field by quite a distance to notch up the first track-and-field games medal for the country.
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The 23-year-old athlete from Khandra village near Panipat in Haryana, produced a second-round throw of 87.58 metres in the finals to stun the athletics world.
In a video message, Dhami said, "It is for the first time in the history of independent India that the country has struck gold in an athletics event at the Olympics. It is a result of both Neeraj Chopra's hard work and his military discipline."
"Being the son of a soldier, I am extremely emotional at the moment. I extend my congratulations to his family, too, on his unique achievement," he said.
Chopra won the country's seventh medal and first gold in this Olympics and joined shooter Abhinav Bindra (2008 Beijing Games) as India's individual gold winner.
Earlier, Pushkar Singh Dhami congratulated India's women hockey team player Vandana Katariya and her teammates for their great performance at the Tokyo Olympics asking them to keep up their morale.
Speaking virtually with Katariya who hails from Haridwar, Dhami said her performance had done the country and the state proud and extended an invitation to her to meet him at his official residence in Dehradun on her return.
A new policy is being framed for sports promotion in the state under which all possible support will be given to sporting talents, he said.
Dhami, who has already announced a cash award of Rs 25 lakh for Katatriya in recognition of her performance at the Tokyo Olympics, said she will also be honoured with the Tilu Rauteli award.