Neeraj Chopra, a gold medalist in the Tokyo Olympics, has become a national hero among Indian females of all ages.
Since doing the unbelievable by winning a gold medal in a track-and-field event at the Tokyo Olympics, the name Neeraj Chopra has been on everyone's lips in India. After Abhinav Bindra at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Neeraj Chopra became only the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold. It's no surprise that the 23-year-old Samalkha resident has become a national hero, particularly among the youth as well as among young girls including Bollywood star Kiara Advani.
When asked about Neeraj Chopra's emphatic Olympic gold medal win and how he has catapulted to being a national hero during a promotional interview with Sports Yaari for her recently released film "Shershaah," popular actors Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani replied: "He is the real "Shershaah" who has made the country proud," said Sidharth Malhotra.
Kiara Advani said, “I think he (Neeraj Chopra) is not just a national crush but the world’s crush right now”.
Meanwhile, Neeraj Chopra, Ravi Dahiya, PV Sindhu, Lovlina Borgohain, Bajrang Punia, and other Olympians were honoured by the Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday. At a ceremony held at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, a number of dignitaries attended, including Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Neeraj Chopra, the gold medallist, received a monetary prize of Rs 2 crore. Ravi Dahiya and Bajrang Punia, both wrestlers, were awarded Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 1 crore, respectively. PV Sindhu, a shuttler, and Lovlina Borgohain, a boxer, each got Rs 1 crore as bronze medalists.
On Tuesday, Neeraj Chopra was taken to a hospital in Panipat after abandoning a welcoming ceremony in his hometown in the middle of it owing to tiredness and fever (August 17). According to news agency PTI, India's best javelin thrower should be OK after a decent rest and that he left the ceremony as a precautionary measure.