Neeraj Chopra pens heartfelt note after historic silver at Worlds: 'Struggled a bit...'

Neeraj Chopra on Sunday created history after he won the silver medal in the men's javelin throw event at the World Athletics Championships 2022. Chopra secured the medal after he managed to register a throw of 88.13m in his fourth attempt. Chopra has now become only the second Indian athlete after Anju Bobby George to win a medal at World Championships. Anju Bobby George had won a bronze medal in the long jump at the 2003 World Championships in Paris. 

Meanwhile, Chopra on Monday turned to social media to thank everyone at home for their support. He also congratulated his rivals Anderson Peters and Jakub Vadlejch, who won the gold and bronze medals, respectively. The 24-year-old claimed that he struggled a bit with the conditions at The Hayward Field in Oregon but is extremely happy to win a medal for India at the World Championships. 

"Struggled a bit with the conditions, but extremely happy to win a medal for India at the #WCHOregon22. Congratulations to Anderson Peters and Jakub Vadlejch on an incredible competition. Thank you to everyone at home and at Hayward Field for your support," Chopra tweeted.  

Chopra in finals of WCH Oregon22

The Tokyo 2020 gold medalist started the finals at the World Championships on a sour note as his first throw turned out to be a foul. Chopra gradually improved his performance as he registered a throw of 82.39m in his second attempt followed by a throw of 86.37m in his third attempt. Chopra's throw in the fourth attempt shot him up to a medal position but it wasn't enough to better the record of Anderson Peters, who had already registered a throw of over 90m. 

Grenada's Peters won the gold medal courtesy of his throw of 90.54m in his sixth and final attempt. Meanwhile, Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch claimed the bronze medal at the WAC 2022 with a throw of 88.09m. 

Chopra qualified for the final of the men's javelin throw event at the World Athletics Championships 2022 on Thursday. Chopra stormed into the final after he registered a throw of 89.94m in his first attempt in the qualifying event.

Image: Twitter/SAI_Media