Panipat, August 6
After 'Golden Boy' Neeraj Chopra qualified for the men's javelin event final at the ongoing Paris Olympics, an air of celebration and jubilation erupted in his household.
Neeraj began his gold medal title defence on a dominant note. The 26-year-old sent his javelin ahead of the likes of Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, two-time world champion Anderson Peters and Czechia's Jakub Vadljech.
While featuring in Group B of the qualification round in the men's javelin event at Stade de France, Neeraj topped the chart with his season-best throw of 89.34m.
Following his victory, celebrations unfolded in Neeraj's house in Panipat. Neeraj's father Satish Kumar expressed his excitement and told ANI, "We are joyous. The country has hopes with Neeraj that he can win gold, everyone is praying for him. He has everyone's prayers and blessings with him. He made a place for himself in the final as people had expected of him. There is a Diwali-like atmosphere in the village today. People cheered for him and celebrated. He performed so well."
Neeraj Chopra's mother Saroj Devi, is excited about seeing his son in the final match and said, "This is by God's grace. This is so joyous. We are all prepared (for the final match), we have installed a large screen in the hall and arranged chairs. All athletes are working hard, see who gets more fortunate. All athletes are doing well."
Neeraj's uncle Bhim Chopra, revealed that big screens have been set up for the large number of people who turn up to see the javelin star weave his magic in one of the biggest sporting events.
"Just like last Olympics, large screens have been set up. We will watch the match well. A large number of people are going to come here. Sports enthusiasts from neighbouring villages are also going to come. So the preparations are going well. Neeraj performed so well. The entire village is celebrating. He met the expectations of the country," Bhim said.
Neeraj will appear in the final to defend his gold medal at Stade de France on Thursday.