Chennai: Indian Premier League (IPL) side Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday rewarded Tokyo Olympic gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra with Rs one crore for his "stellar achievement" at the quadrennial Games.
CSK also presented a special jersey with the number 8758 (highlighting Chopra's medal-winning effort of 87.58 metres) as a mark of respect to the thrower, who joined 10m air rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra as only the second individual Olympic gold medallist from the country.
"The entire nation is proud of Neeraj for his stupendous achievement. By becoming the first Indian to win a medal (gold) in the track and field, he has set a benchmark and is an inspiration for the next generation. 87.58 is a number that will forever be etched in Indian sporting history and it's an honour for us to present this special jersey to Neeraj. We wish he brings more glory to the nation," said CSK CEO K S Viswanathan.
The 23-year-old athlete, after receiving the award and special jersey, mentioned that the past two months have been an opportunity for him to experience new things and also thanked the CSK management for the support.
"Thank you so much for your support and for the prize. It feels good. The last two months have been hectic and an opportunity to experience new things. I never thought that I'll get so much love after winning gold. It was completely unexpected and it feels good. Hopefully I'll work hard and get good results," said Chopra.
