Pictures: Day after he gifts his Olympic javelin to PM Modi, locals in Panipat jostle to get a glimpse of Neeraj Chopra

Tribune Web Desk
Chandigarh, August 17

Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra was accorded a rousing welcome on his arrival at Panipat, a day after gifting his javelin to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

People on way jostled to get a glimpse of Neeraj as he waved to the cheering crowd through the roof of a car.

Speaking with reporters, Neeraj said: “With so much love and respect, it feels good to be home.”

People on their way jostled to get a glimpse of Neeraj. — Tribune Photo

Indian athletes returned from Tokyo with the country’s best ever haul of seven medals, including javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra’s historic gold in track and field.

Indian athletes returned from Tokyo with the country’s best ever haul of seven medals, including javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra’s historic gold in track and field.

Modi had invited them over to the Independence Day ceremony at the Red Fort on Sunday, where in his address he had lauded them for their performance.

Modi made this appeal at an over two-hour interaction with the players at his residence, where he had hosted them for breakfast.

The day Chopra returned from Tokyo, he and other Olympic medal winners were felicitated by the sports ministry. — Tribune Photo

Chopra has been attending various felicitation functions in Delhi. Finally, he returned home to his native Khandra village, around 15 km from Panipat, on Tuesday to a rousing reception from the locals.

“A lot of people turned up, and he reached the venue of the welcome function near his village on a cavalcade. It took time to reach the venue of the function,” the source said.

“But midway into the function, he was feeling exhausted and started having a slight fever. So, he left the function and had taken rest at a house nearby,” the source said.

“There are some rumours that he has been taken to a hospital. It is not like that. He is all right, it’s not a serious issue. Basically, he is feeling exhausted due to attending many functions non-stop after arrival from Tokyo. He is taking rest at a place not very far from his house.”

Asked why Chopra has not gone home, the source said, “He will go home, that is for sure, but he does not want a frenzy from people, including the media.”

A source close to Chopra told PTI that the star athlete should be fine after a good rest and that he left the function as a precautionary measure.

The day Chopra returned from Tokyo, he and other Olympic medal winners were felicitated by the sports ministry.

The next day, he attended a felicitation function organised by the Athletics Federation of India.

After that, Chopra developed high fever and missed the felicitation functions organised by the Punjab and Haryana governments on Thursday and Friday. He was tested for Covid-19 but returned negative. — With PTI