The Athletics Federation of India said August 7 would be dubbed ‘Javelin Throw Day’, with annual state meets for the sport held across the nation.
Neeraj Chopra’s historic feat in winning India’s first-ever track-and-field gold at the Olympics will be commemorated every year, officials said Tuesday, as the javelin star spoke of his desire to inspire future athletes. A medal-starved India revelled in Chopra’s stunning achievement in Tokyo, which ended a more than century-long wait for an athletics gold, with politicians, celebrities and the general public heaping praise on the 23-year-old. The Athletics Federation of India said August 7 – the date of Chopra’s triumph – would be dubbed “Javelin Throw Day”, with annual state meets for the sport held across the nation of 1.3 billion people. “To encourage javelin throw pan-India, we will celebrate August 7 as National Javelin Day and from next year onwards our affiliated units will hold javelin competitions in their respective states,” AFI’s Planning Commission chairman Lalit Bhanot said during a felicitation function of the athletes, including Chopra.
