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Updated August 29th, 2018 at 16:30 IST

Asian Games 2018: Sania Mirza hails Neeraj Chopra's sportsman spirit towards Pakistani athlete

Javelin thrower Neerja Chopra not only won the gold but also won hearts of many his incredible gesture during the medal presentation ceremony.

Reported by: Dylan Dsouza
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Neeraj Chopra sent shockwaves across the country after he clinched gold in the Men's Javelin throw event. In what was a historic day for Indian sport, he became the first Indian javelin thrower to claim gold in the history of the Asian Games.

The 20 year-old was one of India's hottest medal prospects at the continental event and certainly lived up to his billing with a stunning performance. In the process, Chopra also set a new National Record with a throw of 88.06m.

If this wasn't enough to convince us that Neeraj was another superstar in the making, he further went on to win the hearts of many with his wonderful gesture. During the medal presentation ceremony, he was seen shaking his hands with Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who settled for bronze in the same event. Pointing out this heartfelt moment, India's tennis ace Sania Mirza took to Twitter to applaud Chopra's gesture.

The lad from Haryana was named India's flag bearer for the Games' opening ceremony and he ensured the tricolor was flying high after adding another feather to his illustrious cap at the 2018 Asian Games. With this record-breaking feat, Chopra also becomes the first Indian in track & field since Milkha Singh to win CWG & Asian Games gold medals in the same year.

READ: Asian Games Medals Will Be Dedicated To Atal Bihari Vajpayee

India's track and field contingent have enjoyed quite a successful outing at the 2018 Asian games yielding 8 medals so far, which adds to the staggering medal tally of 50 medals - consisting of 9 gold medals, 19 silver medals, and 22 bronze medals. 

Earlier in the day, Manjit Singh and Jinson Johnson etched their names into the history books of Indian athletics, after they became the first Indians since Charles Borromeo in 1982 to claim a podium finish at the 800m event. There was furthermore success on the day with India's mixed relay team clinching silver after finishing with a timing of 3:15.71 in the 4x400m event.

READ:'The Magician' Major Dhyan Chand Honored On His 113th Birth Anniversary As India Celebrates National Sports Day 

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Published August 28th, 2018 at 21:41 IST

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