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President of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), Adille Sumariwalla hailed Neeraj Chopra's ability to handle pressure after he clinched a gold medal in the men's javelin event in the Asian Games on Wednesday.
The 'Golden Boy' faced a lot of challenges throughout the event, as his first throw, which landed around the 83m to 87m area, was deemed invalid due to some technical issues. Neeraj had to overcome national compatriot Kishore Jena's challenge, who gave him a run for his money. At one point Neeraj was trailing Jena but came back to top the chart with his season-best throw of 88.88m. "This is what separates men from boys. He (Neeraj Chopra) is a champion and knows how to handle pressure. You could see he was disturbed by the rethrow, but because of his experience he managed to pull himself together and he made a fantastic throw to make sure that he got the gold," Adille told ANI. The AFI president went on to praise the athletes for their exceptional performances but admitted that the athletes lost out on a couple of gold medals. He also expressed hope of the medal tally in athletics crossing the 30-mark with the final day of events remaining. "I think we missed out on a couple of gold medals but I can say I am satisfied. We could have done better. The kids have done well. They have fought hard and done what they had to do. Last time, it was 18 medals. This time, we hope we can touch 30. There is a lot of work to be done. We are happy with the performances," Adille added. Neeraj Chopra and Kishore Jena were in a league of their own competing for the gold in a highly engaging men's final, while the rest were merely competing for the bronze. There was a neck-to-neck competition between two Indian athletes as both players attempted for gold. However, in the end, it was the defending champion, who prevailed with his season's best throw of 88.88. Jena showed his mettle in the event to clinch a silver medal. (ANI)
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