NEW DELHI: Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has scripted history by becoming the first track and field athlete to win a gold medal for India at the Olympics with a mammoth throw of 87.58 meters, even beating the world number one, German Johannes Vetter who flopped big time and exited the event early at 82.52 meters throw. 

Neeraj becomes the only second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal after Abhinav Bindra won the gold medal in the men's 10 m air rifle in 2008 Summer Olympics on 11 August 2008.

Right from the first round of throws, Neeraj started his gold medal pursuit and kept up his brilliant lead with a throw of 87.03 meters with Vadlejch Jakub and Vesely Vitezslav both of the Czech Republic trailing behind him with a score of 83.98 and 79.73 meters respectively. 

In the second throw, while Vetter was virtually out of the race with the first score of 82.52 meters, Neeraj took a big lead with his best of 87.58 meters throw and with no one close to him he remained ahead in the race by over 2 meters. At this stage another German thrower, Weber Julian began trailing with 85.3 of his 1st round remaining his best.

Although his third and fourth round did not count, however by then it became clear that Neeraj convincingly leading pack was the winner, leading the race with Vesely and Weber following behind and by the end of the 4th throw, he was still way ahead of the race with 87.58 meters. At the end of the fifth and the final throw, he had scripted history and won the gold.

By the fifth round, a brilliant attempt by Jakub saw him tumble his own fellow-countrymen Vesely, as he jumped to the second spot with a throw of 86.67 meters.

Norway's Andreas Thorkildsen holds the Olympic record with 90.57 meters, which he achieved in Beijing Olympics in 2008. While the world record, which is 98.48 meters is held by Czech Republic's Jan Železný. Železný who is known as one of the greatest javelin throwers of the modern era achieved this milestone which he scripted in 1996.

He has won the gold at the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympic Games and silver in the 1988 Olympics as well as three World Championship titles; in 1993, 1995 and 2001.

Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem also finished the game but he was placed at the 5th position without gaining any medal and the country has not earned a single media in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 so far.