'Instead of making this a four-year phenomenon, when you look at us and get thrilled, do it more regularly.'
Indian Olympic Association's directive notwithstanding, champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra's participation in the upcoming National Games looks doubtful, as he is coming off a groin injury and a gruelling season.
Slipping out of the usual top-five was seen as a real possibility in absence of shooting but phenomenal success in athletics and lawn bowls propelled India to a commendable fourth place finish at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham
A summary of major figures and facts at the Tokyo Games.
A summary of Saturday's Track and Field action at the Tokyo Olympics.
Celebrations break out in Neeraj Chopra's village
Led by young flag-bearer Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, the athletes, clad in blue suits, waved to the crowd with small flags in their hands.
Decorated para-athlete and India's lone woman Paralympic medallist Deepa Malik has been elected as president of Paralympic Committee of India though the results of the elections are subject to a pending case in the Delhi High Court. The 49-year-old Deepa, who won a silver in shot put F-53 event in the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, was elected unopposed as president in the PCI polls held in Bengaluru on Friday.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday.
Shot putter Inderjeet Singh and half-miler Jinson Johnson bagged a gold each as Indians won eight medals in the first leg of the Asian Athletics Grand Prix Series in Bangkok, on Monday.
The committee also picked 19 sportspersons for the Arjuna Award, including the likes of cricketers Ravindra Jadeja and Poonam Yadav, track and field stars Tejinder Pal Singh Toor, Mohammed Anas and Swapna Barman.
Had Dhanush not been disqualified, India would have won the team gold with a junior Asian record. The shooter from Hyderabad could have also won an individual medal as he was placed third going into the finals.
In hockey, the women's team continued its inspiring run with a silver medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
The gold medal in men's javelin throw F46 category in the Rio Paralympics made Devendra Jhajharia the most successful Indian para athlete ever but he is in no mood to stop here and is eyeing for a treble in the 2020 Tokyo Games. The 35-year-old Jhajharia, a left-hand amputee, is the only Indian para athlete to have won two gold medals in the Paralympics, the earlier one being the yellow metal he won in 2004 Athens. "I am not stopping here after the Rio success. I have enough gas in my tank and I will definitely go for gold in Tokyo. I know my body and I can still train two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening rigorously everyday, just like I did in the build-up to the Rio Paralympics," Jhajharia told PTI in an interview.
Asian Games gold medallist Sudha Singh failed to live up to the expectations as India settled for two silver and two bronze medals on a rather disappointing day on Day 3 of the 20th Asian Athletics Championships in Pune on Friday.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh said Neerj Chopra's "golden victory" at the Tokyo Olympics is a historic and proud moment for the entire country, including the Indian armed forces.
Quarter-miler Machettira Raju Poovamma and heptathlete Liksy Joseph won a silver each as India added four medals on the second day of the 21st Asian Athletics Championships in Wuhan, China, on Thursday.
As the curtains come down at the Tokyo Olympics, here's a glance at the medallists and those who came within touching distance of glory.
Following is the schedule of Indian contingent on the ninth day of the Asian Games, on Monday.
Neeraj Chopra is not in a mood to be bogged down under pressure and said he is only focussed on producing his best at the upcoming Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang.
Neeraj Chopra has set his eyes at achieving a distance of 90m consistently to enhance his chances of winning a medal at the Olympics.
Hima Das is nearing her best, having won five successive gold medals in three weeks in Europe.
The team has shifted base from NIS Patiala, which is cold at the peak of winter, to the Odisha capital, which will be comparatively warmer.
Buoyed by a strong start to the season, Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is primed to clinch his maiden Diamond League podium finish in his first appearance in four years in the prestigious one-day meet in Stockholm on Thursday.
The absence of top stars took some sheen away but India's record-breaking medal haul and a maiden top-of-the-table finish made the just-concluded 22nd Asian Athletics Championship here a memorable one.
After a year's delay due to COVID-19, the 19th Asian Games officially opens in Hangzhou on Saturday with hosts China eager to lift a country mired in economic gloom.
Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra's obsessive pursuit of excellence and a new-found sprint sensation in Hima Das gave Indian athletics audacious Olympic hopes but familiar dope shame kept things in perspective in an eventful 2018.
Neeraj Chopra is set to switch his training base from Turkey to Finland which will host the Paavo Nurmi Games
Rakesh Kumar continued his impressive run of form to storm into the pre-quarter-finals even as teammate Shyam Sundar Swami made a second-round exit as Indian compound archers had a mixed day at the Paralympic Games, in Tokyo, on Saturday.
The swimmers led India's charge on Saturday by winning 7 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze as they completely dominated the pool yet again.
The women's 4x400m relay quartet lived up to their expectations by clinching a gold after a brilliant race as India ended their athletics campaign with an impressive haul of 13 medals in the 17th Asian Games in Incheon on Thursday.
Before joining national camp in early 2015, he was training at Tau Devi Lal Stadium at Panchkula after being shifted from Shivaji Stadium at Panipat.
The 22-year-old Anas clocked 45.32 sec under hot and humid conditions at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. He also qualified for the World Championships to be held in London in August. The entry standard for the World Championships stands at 45.50secs.
Swapna Barman, on Wednesday created history by becoming the first Indian heptathlete to win an Asian Games gold in Jakarta, a feat he achieved despite competing with pain due to a toothache.
Shot putter Manpreet Kaur and long distance runner G Lakshmanan grabbed gold medals on a remarkable opening day for India at the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships as the hosts won seven medals to sit atop the medal tally, in Bhubaneswar, on Thursday.
A summary of Friday night's action in the season-opening leg of the Diamond League in Doha on Friday.
Tokyo should remain the benchmark and source of inspiration till at least Paris 2024. In the shorter run, India's preparations for the Asian and Commonwealth Games next year must begin based on lessons learnt now, asserts Raj Kishore Mishra, former joint secretary at the sports ministry.
Neeraj Chopra ended India's long wait of 100 years when he claimed a historic first Olympic athletics gold medal for India at the Tokyo Games on Saturday.
China has lost an opportunity to witness something inspirational by denying visa to the 101-year old sprinter Man Kaur, who wanted to compete at the Asian Masters Athletics Championships, says her son Gurdev Singh.
