Paris: India’s hunt for its first gold medal at the Paris Olympics continued after the country’s best hope Neeraj Chopra managed to bag silver in Men's Javelin final, dominated by Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem with a massive throw of 92.97m — a new Olympic record — that won him the gold medal.
Defending champion Chopra topped the men's javelin throw qualification with a throw of 89.34m. He won the gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with a throw of 87.58m and became the first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal in the track and field event.
In hockey, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Singh scored a brace of goals as the men's hockey team fought back from a goal down to prevail 2-1 over Spain and bagged a second successive bronze medal in the Olympic Games, giving seasoned goalkeeper PR Sreejesh a memorable farewell in his last match.
This medal takes India's tally in hockey to 13 in the Olympic Games with eight gold, one silver, and four bronze medals adding to the country's stature as the most successful country in field hockey at the Olympics. This was also India's fourth medal in the Paris Olympic Games, all bronze medals, adding to the three won in shooting. Hockey India announced a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh for each player of the Indian men's team and Rs 7.5 lakh for each member of the support staff after the team clinched the bronze medal.
In a shock to millions of her fans, star wrestler Vinesh Phogat said "Alvida" (farewell) to wrestling following her heartbreaking disqualification from the Paris Olympics. Vinesh was disqualified from the women's 50 kg gold medal bout at the Paris Olympics after being weighed "few grams over" the permissible limits.
"Maa, wrestling has won, I have lost. Please forgive me, your dreams and my courage, everything is broken. I don't have any more strength now. Goodbye wrestling 2001-2024. I shall be indebted to you all. Forgive (me)," she said. Vinesh was found 100 grams over the limit for 50 kg and thus ruled out the competition and placed last as per United World Wrestling rules.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini announced that Vinesh would be given the honor, rewards, and facilities given to a player who wins a silver medal in the Olympics. At Vinesh's ancestral home, the celebrations turned somber in less than 24 hours after she made history by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the final of a wrestling event at the Olympic Games following her convincing 5-0 win over Cuba's Yusneylis Guzman Lopez in the semifinal.
