New Delhi, July 1: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Sports minister Anurag Thakur and Olympic gold medalist shooter Abhinav Bindra on Saturday congratulated star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra for his second straight win of the season in the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League.
The 25-year-old Indian Javelin thrower had earlier skipped three top events due to a muscle strain he sustained while training last month. But he came back with a bang and won the Diamond League title here with his fifth-round throw of 87.66m.
Late on Friday, Neeraj started with a foul and then had 83.52m and 85.04m throws. He had another foul in the fourth round before coming up with his winning throw of 87.66m next. His sixth and last throw was 84.15m.
Germany’s Julian Weber was second with a best throw of 87.03m, while Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic was third with an 86.13m effort.
“Congratulations to @Neeraj_chopra1 for shining at the Lausanne Diamond League. Thanks to his extraordinary performances, he has finished at the top of the table. His talent, dedication and relentless pursuit of excellence is commendable,” said PM Modi in a tweet.
“Neeraj is back with a bang. With a massive throw of 87.66m in his 5th attempt, @Neeraj_chopra1 dominates yet another Diamond League event finishing on top position in Men’s Javelin Throw event at #LausanneDL . Phenomenal effort by our #TOPScheme athlete to make a blockbuster comeback after a muscle injury and make India proud again. Congratulations, Champion!,” tweeted Anurag Thakur.
Meanwhile, another Olympic medalist Abhinav Bindra wrote, “A big shoutout to @Neeraj_chopra1 on his incredible victory at the Lausanne Diamond League! Your triumph is a testament to your unwavering resilience and determination, especially after coming back from injury.”
Earlier, Neeraj had won the season-opening Diamond League meeting in Doha on May 5 with a throw of 88.67m.
IANS