Neeraj Chopra advances to Olympic final; Rishabh Pant promises cash prize for gold victory
Neeraj Chopra Claims Second Place At Lausanne Diamond League With Season-High Throw
India’s javelin throw star Neeraj Chopra has secured his spot in the men’s javelin throw final at the Paris Olympics with an impressive 89.34m throw in the qualification round. This throw, Chopra’s best of the season and just short of his personal record of 89.94m set in 2022, earned him a direct entry into the final, where he will aim for a second consecutive Olympic gold on Thursday.
In a show of support, Indian cricketer Rishabh Pant took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to make an exciting promise. Pant announced that he would reward one lucky fan with Rs 1,00,089 if Neeraj clinches the gold medal. Pant’s message read, “If Neeraj Chopra wins a gold medal tomorrow, I will give Rs 1,00,089 to a lucky winner who likes and comments the most on this tweet. The top 10 others will receive flight tickets. Let’s rally support from India and around the world for my brother.”
Pant’s pledge quickly gained traction, inspiring similar promises from others, including a parody account of Virat Kohli, which vowed to give Rs 50,000 to two fans if Chopra wins gold. Furthermore, Indian-origin entrepreneur Mohak Nahta, CEO of the US-based visa platform Atlys, offered to provide free visas to all Indians for a day if Chopra triumphs. To participate, users were asked to comment with their email addresses on Nahta’s LinkedIn post.
Chopra’s commanding performance not only placed him at the top of the qualification round but also alleviated concerns regarding his fitness, as he had been dealing with an adductor injury leading up to the Games. His throw surpassed those of notable competitors, including two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada, who finished second overall with an 88.63m throw, and Germany’s Julian Weber, who led Group A with 87.76m.
With India yet to secure a gold or silver medal at the Paris Olympics, the nation’s hopes are now pinned on Chopra, who will compete in the final on Thursday, 8 August, at 11:55 PM IST. A victory would make Chopra the first Indian athlete to win two Olympic gold medals in an individual event and place him among the elite few who have successfully defended an Olympic javelin title. The final will be broadcast live on Sports18, with streaming available on the JioCinema app and website.
