Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi on Monday congratulated Neeraj Chopra, who won a historic maiden gold medal for India in the World Athletics Championships in the men’s javelin throw competition, saying his magnificent performance has again made the country proud and will keep inspiring the young sportspersons.

Kharge took to X, formerly Twitter and said, “The magnificent performance of Neeraj Chopra has again made India proud. We are thrilled to witness that his brilliance, dedication and hard work has now made him the first Indian to win a gold medal at the prestigious World Athletics Championships and added another feather to his growing list of stupendous achievements.”
“Many congratulations Neeraj. May you grow from strength to strength and keep inspiring young sportspersons,” the Congress leader added.

Rahul Gandhi also congratulated Chopra and in a Facebook post said, “Many congratulations to Neeraj Chopra for winning the gold medal in the World Athletics Championships.

“Once again he made India proud on the world stage. The new generations of sportspersons of the country will continue to get inspired by Neeraj’s commitment and discipline,” he added.

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh also praised Chopra and in a tweet said, “Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal in the javelin throw was fantastic. He’s not only a world champion but also a true champion outside of the track field. Who can forget his courageoue stance earlier in May this year, when the protesting women wrestlers where dragged on the streets of the national capital.”

“At the same time, the performance of our 4×400 metre relay team comprising of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi and Rajesh Ramesh truly captured the nation’s hearts. Their performance demonstrates the spirit of: Judega Bharat, Jeetega INDIA,” Ramesh said, highlighting the performance of Indian athletes.

The remarks came after India’s Olympic champion Chopra won a historic maiden gold medal for India in the World Athletics Championships on Sunday.

Chopra, who has been bothered by an injury in the last few months, killed the competition in the Hungarian capital with a massive throw of 88.17 in his second turn.

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem took the silver medal, the first World Championship medal for his country, with a distance of 87.82 while Czech Republic’s Yakub Vadlejch retained the bronze he won in Oregon last year, with a distance of 86.67.