NEW DELHI: Star India javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra's gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics was in many ways the biggest tribute to legendary Indian sprinter Milkha Singh. In the 1960 Rome Olympics, Milkha Singh had missed a bronze medal in the men's 400m race by 0.1 seconds. Neeraj's gold in the Olympics last year was the first time an Indian had won an Olympic medal in athletics post independence. And it was the top prize. The gold medal also made Neeraj only the second Indian sports person to win an individual Olympic gold medal, after shooter Abhinav Bindra. It was a monumental occasion for Indian athletics.
On August 7 this year, on the first anniversary of Neeraj's historic gold medal finish at the Japan National Stadium when he sealed the deal with a majestic throw of 87.58m, the first National Javelin Day was celebrated in the country.
