The National Anthem was played, the whole country rejoiced and the son of an Indian farmer from Haryana made everyone proud - Subedar Neeraj Chopra of the Indian Army has certainly created history today. 23-year-old Neeraj Chopra won the men's javelin today, bringing the country's first-ever Olympics Athletics Gold. The young 'spearman' eclipsed his previous best and managed to get a whopping 87.58 metres to end up top of the table. This is only the second individual gold medal in India's Olympic history after Abhinav Bindra's heroics in shooting in Beijing 2008.

A Subedar with 4 Rajputana Rifles in the Indian Army, Neeraj qualified in quick time during the qualifying round. Although this Tokyo Olympics has been India's best in terms of the number of medals, no Indian participant managed to win the Gold this time. All hopes were on Neeraj, a graduate from DAV College in Chandigarh. Previously he won gold in both the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. Neeraj arrived at the Olympics with the fourth-best throw of the year. Interestingly, he chose athletics to remain fit and reduce weight. That decision has turned out to be not only decisive for him, but also a brilliant one for India.

Neeraj's Gold medal is a fitting tribute to India's quest for excellence in Sports and Games. It has been fifty days since India lost the legendary Milkha Singh, who missed an Olympic Medal by a splint second at the Rome Olympics. Not only Milkha Singh, but India's tryst with destiny also has no many inspiring names from PT Usha to young golfer Aditi Ashok, who have missed medals at the biggest sports event on earth. The focus, the patience and perseverance and temperament - Neeraj had it all. Until yesterday, not too many Indians were aware of the rules and regulations of Javelin throw. Neeraj has truly united the country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, with his 'golden arm, making India proud again.

No doubt, this 'gold' is a statement to India's renewed thrust in sports and games. The land of Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli also belongs to that PV Sindhu, Vishwanathan Anand, Abhinav Bindra, Mary Kom and of course Neeraj Chopra and other Indians who have added power and prestige to the tricolour over and over again. Politics in the Indian sports fraternity is not uncommon but the Narendra Modi era has witnessed a significant novel approach to sports and games. Training in foreign soil under expert coaches, getting the right diet and guidance, getting to participate in tournaments around the world - sports and games have been 'accessible' in India. Finally, Indian Hockey has also made a grand comeback at the Olympics. Things are certainly changing!

Let's not forget that Indian farmers are not anti-India as some so-called liberal media try to create friction every time with a definite agenda. The New Indian is rising. From mass vaccination to winning Gold in Olympics - India is indeed hopeful of a bright sustainable future for all its citizens. The first battle of Panipat changed India’s history and Neeraj Chopra, the young jawan from Panipat, has successfully made amends with this historic gold amidst this global pandemic.

Image provided by the author.