Home ›› 09 Aug 2021 ›› Sport
Indian companies and governments promised cash and gifts worth more than two million dollars to javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra after he won India’s first ever Olympic athletics gold medal.
The 23-year-old farmer’s son, who two years ago underwent surgery on a career-threatening elbow injury, threw 87.58 metres in the Tokyo Olympic stadium on Saturday to send his country into raptures.
Chopra led India’s most successful Olympics ever with a gold, two silver medals and four bronze.
He will lead a cash bonanza for the winning athletes, the government in his home state of Haryana said it would give Chopra a $800,000 bonus. Other state governments offered another $400,000 between them and a leading education company promised $270,000.
Chopra said he hoped the Olympic gold would be a turning point for his country’s athletes.
“In athletics, I feel we have missed medals by fine margins over the years. So this medal was important. Now that I have won, I feel we can do anything,” he said.
Chopra was up against the previously in-form Johannes Vetter of Germany who had thrown a season’s best of 96.29 metres before the Olympics, but had an off day and failed to qualify for the throw-off as one of the top eight.
“If the first throw is good, then you grow in confidence. My second throw was also stable. I wasn’t sure of the gold (after that effort), but knew I had thrown my best,” Chopra told reporters of the throw in the second round that won the title.
“We can’t bring thoughts of gold into our minds (during the competition). Such thoughts are dangerous, then there is a risk that we may not put the required effort. Now I want to achieve the 90-metre mark as soon as possible,” he added.
The Indian cricket board, the BCCI, and the Chennai Super Kings Indian Premier League team vowed to give $135,000 each and Chopra will also get $100,000 from the Indian Olympic Association.
Other firms offered free air travel, luxury cars and cash gifts that took Chopra’s bonus over two million and more was expected before he returns to India.
All of the Indian medal winners can expect big cash rewards
for their return, with the IOA offering $53,750 for a silver, and $33,500 for a bronze.
India’s cricket board said they would give $168,000 to the men’s hockey team for its bronze medal -- the first in four decades. And state governments also promised hundreds of thousands to the team.
