Neeraj Chopra wins Historic Gold; Fulfills Late Milka Singh’s Last Wish
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Milkha Singh and Neeraj Chopra
India celebrated, as Neeraj Chopra took home a historic gold medal. It was not only India’s first medal in athletics, but also only the second individual gold medal for India. He has completed the lateMilkha Singh’s last wish, making the nation proud. The late Milkha Singh passed away recently, a great loss for India.
Milkha Singh was one of the greatest sprinters India has ever had, and he has left a big impact on the sports community. Although Milkha Singh could not get a medal for India at the Olympics, his last wish was to see someone get a gold medal for India in track and field. Neeraj Chopra has fulfilled that dream, as he won a gold medal in javelin throw after a fantastic performance.
Neeraj Chopra Storms his way to Gold After an Exceptional Performance
Neeraj Chopra made a huge statement in the very first throw, after a gigantic and confident 87.03m. It was a big effort which immediately put him in first place as he seemed almost uncatchable. He bettered his second throw with a massive 87.58m. No one could catch up to that throw, especially after Johannes Vetter failed to make it to round 2 of the finals after a disappointing start.
Jacob Vadlejch seemed to make up some ground when he threw a 86.67m, a season best for him. However, Neeraj Chopra’s throw was out of everyone’s reach, and he clinched a historic gold medal for India in athletics, also fulfilling the late Milkha Singh’s dream in the best way possible.
Milkha Singh’s Historic Olympic Journey of Putting India on the Map in Athletics
The legendary Milkha Singh was one of the earliest sports stars for India. He originally migrated from Pakistan during the Partition and rose to fame when he joined the armed forces and started playing athletics.
In 1958 Singh set the 200m and 400m national records. He went on to win the gold medal at the 1958 CommonwealthGames in Cardiff. He also went on to win the gold medal in the 200m and 400m races at the Asian Games that year.
He had shot to fame because he was the only Indian male to win a gold at the track and field competitions in the Commonwealth Games and was now a national hero.
Milkha Singh qualified for the 400 meter event at the Rome Olympics. Milkha got through the heats with ease and kept bettering his timings as he crossed one hurdle after another. The sprint star finished behind USA’s Otis Davis in the semi finals as he was the fourth-fastest to make it to the final with a timing of 45.9 seconds.
Milkha got off to a great start in the final as he was quick to join the leading pack. The Flying Sikh completed the first half of the race with great pace as he continued to push himself. However, an error in judgment saw him slow down before the final turn, giving Malcolm Spence of South Africa enough room to close down on the Indian.
He finished fourth after a photo finish, missing out by only 0.01s . It was a historic moment for India nonetheless, as Milkha Singh had achieved something spectacular, and his name would go down in history as one of the greatest athletes from India.
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Saivee Phatak
(1164 Articles Published)