I didn't know it would be gold, unbelievable feeling: Neeraj Chopra

Tokyo: "It feels unbelievable," said star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra after his history-making gold in the Olympics on Saturday, claiming to have been unsure of a top podium finish despite a remarkably confident performance.

Chopra had topped the qualification three days ago and did better than that in the finals as he produced a best throw of 87.58m to become only the second Indian to win individual gold in Olympics, also the first track-and-field medal for the country.

"It feels unbelievable. It is the first time India has won a gold in athletics, so I feel very good. We have just one gold here in other sports," the 23-year-old said after winning the historic gold.

"This is our first Olympic medal for a very long time, and in athletics it is the first time we have gold, so it's a proud moment for me and my country."

Asked if he was surprised to win gold which also featured German great Johannes Vetter, he said, "In the qualification round I threw very well so I knew I could do better in the final." "(But) I didn't know it would be gold but I am very happy."

Few would have thought that Chopra would bludgeon his way to gold in such a dominant fashion at the grandest of the stage. Just like in the qualification round, Chopra began with a bang by sending the spear to a distance of 87.03m and then improved it to 87.58m, his best of the day which none in the field could match.

His third throw was a poor 76.76m, he then fouled his next two attempts before a final effort of 84.24m. By the time the Nordic javelin left his right hand in his second attempt, he knew that it was going the farthest among all and he raised both his arms in jubilation, confident that the job had been done.

Season leader and pre-tournament gold favourite Johannes Vetter of Germany, who had thrown the spear to 90m plus distances seven times between April and June, was shockingly eliminated after the first three throws as he was placed ninth with a best effort of 82.52m.

South Asian Games 2016

Neeraj Chopra started his career with a bang when he first threw 82.23m and broke the Asian junior record at the 2016 South Asian Games equaling the then Indian national senior record. Chopra won the gold medal at the Games and has been unstoppable from then.

Asian Junior Championships

In the 2016 edition of the Asian junior championships, Chopra won the silver medal throwing 77.60m held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

IAAF World U20 Championship

Clinched gold medal at the 2016 IAAF World U20 Championships held in Bydgoszcz, Poland and set the world's junior record by throwing 86.48m which he still holds being just 18 years old.

Asian Athletics Championship 2017

In the Athletics meet of Asia held in Bhubaneswar, Neeraj once again outperformed everyone with a throw of 85.23 meters adding gold to his long list of achievements.

Commonwealth Games 2018

Naib Subedar Neeraj Chopra of Army Sports Institute, Pune, becomes the champion at the 2018 Commonwealth Games held in Goldcoast, Australia with his season-best throw of 86.47m. With this show, he became the first Indian ever to win a gold in the javelin throw at CWG and also joined the elite list of Indian athletes to bag the 1st position on their CWG debut.

Doha Diamond Leagues

Neeraj Chopra has been constantly breaking his own national record and Doha Diamond League was another event where he threw 87.43m to achieve the feat.

Arjuna Award

In recognition of his outstanding achievements in athletics, especially at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Neeraj was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 2018, the award for outstanding performance in sports and games.

Asian Games 2018

Neeraj Chopra threw 88.06m to win the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games and also set a new National Record bettering his previous one.

Sotteville Athletics Meet

With a powerful throw of 85.17m, Neeraj again showed his dominance by bagging the gold medal in javelin throw held at Sotteville-les Rouen, France.

Vishisht Seva Medal

The Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM), the medal of the Indian armed force given to recognise "distinguished service of a high order" has been conferred to Neeraj Chopra, who is a Junior Commissioned Officer along with being an athlete serving at a rank of a subedar, for his contribution to the forces.