New Delhi: Neeraj Chopra is not just a world-conquering athlete, he is a patriotic Indian with a heart of gold.
Two years after becoming the first Indian to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics, Neeraj on Sunday night added another first in his dazzling CV. He won another prestigious Javelin gold medal, this time becoming the first from his country to top an event in the World Athletics Championships.
Soon after sealing gold at the National Athletics Centre in Hungarian capital Budapest, Chopra was celebrating with fellow-medallists Arshad Nadeem (Pakistan) and Czech Jakub Vadlejch.
Noticing that Pakistani silver-medallist Nadeem didn’t have a National flag, Chopra called him over and took him under the Tricolour as photographers and video journalists clicked the medal-winning trio.
A few minutes later, Chopra showed his patriotic colours. As a Hungarian fan requested the just-crowned Javelin world champion to sign on an Indian flag, Chopra refused, saying: “Wahaan nahin sign kar sakta (can’t sign there).”
Neeraj, however, didn’t disappoint his admirer. “Eventually, he signed her shirt sleeve. She was pretty happy all the same,” according to a post on X by journalist Jonathan Selvaraj.
As the picture of Neeraj giving his autograph on the woman’s shirt went viral, social media users lauded the 25-year-old for showing his respect for the National flag, and, at the same time, obliging the fan.
“What an amazing gesture by Neeraj Chopra! He is truly an inspiration to all of us. His humility and respect for the Indian flag are commendable,” a used wrote, reflecting the thought of the entire country.
