Didn’t feel any pressure in Olympics, says gold medallist Neeraj Chopra

Neeraj Chopra, of India, competes in the men`s javelin throw final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Saturday. Pic/PTI

After scripting history in Tokyo Olympics, Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Saturday said competing in international tournaments before the Games helped him in his preparations.

Neeraj Chopra created history as he became the first Indian athlete to win a gold in track and field event at the Olympics. He threw the javelin to a distance of 87.58m in the mega event to pick the gold.

"The most important thing for me this year was to participate in international competitions. The two, three international competitions where I played helped me a lot," Neeraj said at a virtual press conference. "So I didn't feel any pressure in Olympics and I was able to focus on my performance," he added.

Neeraj Chopra 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.

Also read: Tokyo Games: Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra becomes first Indian to win Olympic gold medal in athletics

"A good first throw gives you the confidence and puts pressure on other throwers. My second throw was also very stable," Neeraj Chopra said."My personal best was 88.07-m. So I decided to break the Olympics record of 90.57 m. I gave my best but couldn't. I aim to achieve the mark of 90-m mark soon," he added.

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 Chopra 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.

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