Veteran table tennis player A Sharath Kamal on Friday said he was "pretty surprised" at being named India's flagbearer at the Paris Olympics ahead of people like Tokyo Games gold-winner Neeraj Chopra and described the honour as a recognition of his years of toil.
Olympic sensation Neeraj Chopra's success on the final day of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has turned the track and field star into a household name across the country.
Newly-crowned Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra on Monday revealed that he was in pain after his epoch-making performance in the Tokyo Games but it was worth enduring given the historic result he achieved.
Also seen interacting with Prime Minister Modi was Olympic gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra over a bowl of choorma.
Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra's coach Klaus Bartonietz says the Olympic champion has rectified most of the shortcomings in his technique and now the endeavour is to maintain technical "stability" to touch greater heights in the coming years.
From cricket great Sachin Tendulkar to Suryakumar Yadav to the BCCI, wishes poured in from all quarters.
Badminton rackets used by the Paralympic gold medallist, the javelin which brought India its first gold in the Olympics and gloves worn by the bronze medal winning athlete are among Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mementos which are drawing the highest bids currently on the culture ministry website which is e-auctioning them.
Athletics Federation of India president Adille Sumariwalla on Wednesday said star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra's historic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics has helped in removing a 'huge mental block' from the country's track and field athletes.
'Ghar pe bait ke comment karna easy hai and sports khelna difficult.'
A pre-tournament medal contender, the 23-year-old Neeraj Chopra fuelled the country's expectations by topping the qualification round with a stunning first round throw of 86.59 metres.
IOA President PT Usha said Sreejesh was "both an emotional and popular choice within the IOA leadership".
Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra has been selected as one of the six nominees for the 2022 Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award.
A World Championships gold is the only medal missing in Neeraj Chopra's decorated cabinet and the superstar Indian javelin thrower will fancy his chances.
Following is India's schedule on Tuesday, Day 11 of the Paris Olympics: (All timings in IST):
As a mark of respect, players and match officials will wear black armbands, and a minute's silence will be observed before the start of the match.
'Javelin has now taken a boost in the country and after my medal now 50 students have approached my coach for training. I feel like a star now.'
The presence of the two women athletes in the contingent, marks the maiden participation of female service athletes at the Olympics.
The Haryana tableau at the Republic Day Parade on Wednesday showcased the power of Olympians as they hosted a life-size replica of Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra.
Neeraj has won gold medals in Olympics (Tokyo in 2021), Asian Games (2018) and Commonwealth Games (2018), besides becoming the Diamond League champion last year.
Over 25 years, societies evolve and tastes change. Cinema absorbs and reflects this transformation. Picking only 25 films from the first quarter of the century is tough.
Sarvesh Kushare said Neeraj Chopra's advice has boosted his confidence as at one point in time this year, he was not even sure of making the Paris Games cut.
Aleksandrovich boasts an impressive career, with a personal best throw of 92.61m, a Russian national record set in Sheffield in 2002.
Kishore Jena on Friday received his visa to travel to Hungary, paving the way for him to compete at the World Athletics Championships
Indian javelin thrower DP Manu, a rising star with his sights set on the Paris Olympics, has been provisionally suspended by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) after a failed doping test.
World champion and season leader Anderson Peters of Grenada won the competition with a best throw of 90.31m which he came up with in this third attempt.
Describing his German coach Klaus Bartonietz as the 'best' for him, Olympic gold-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Friday said he would like to continue their spectacular partnership in the 2024 Paris Games as well.
Neeraj Chopra, on Sunday, won a gold in the Savo Games in Finland with an impressive performance, beating his Chinese Taipei rival Chao-Tsun Cheng as the duo warmed up for an Asian Games showdown.
Nyrraa Banerji's reason for staying away from Bollywood for a while: 'In Bollywood, there was a phase where all the movies were getting very bold. Physical intimacy was the criteria at that time for films. I didn't want to be part of that.'
Neeraj will be competing in his first Olympics and he has already qualified for the Tokyo Games early last year before the COVID-19 pandemic began
V V S Laxman's tenure ends in September but he is set to continue as the NCA chief, confirmed BCCI secretary Jay Shah.
Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with a throw of 87.86m at the ACNE League meeting in Potchefstroom, South Africa, making an impressive return after recovering from an elbow injury. The 22-year-old Indian, who missed the entire 2019 season due to the injury, breached the Olympic qualification mark of 85m in his fourth attempt and secured the top place at the international event on Tuesday.
'When I threw in the warm-up, I knew I would do well. I thought I would touch 67-68. But I got a gold medal at 66m.'
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on Thursday named a 37-member Indian athletics team, to be led by Olympic champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra's Paris Games preparations will be put through a stern test when he begins his season in the first leg of the prestigious Diamond League one-day meet series against a star-studded but familiar field, in Doha on Friday.
Another gold medal in Paris would further elevate Neeraj Chopra's status as the greatest ever athlete in the history of Indian sport.
India will mount a "strategic" bid for the 2029 and 2031 World Athletics Championships when the process begins later this year, hoping to get the hosting rights of one of the two editions of the showpiece, national federation spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla said on Sunday.
If Jena maintains his performance or improves upon it, he can be a medal contender in the Paris Olympics.
'I am going to represent India for the third time in the Olympics. I won a Silver medal in 2016 and in 2020, I won a Bronze medal. I hope to change the colour of the medal this year.'
His first throw of 88.39 metres earned him automatic qualification for the final.
As the year draws to a close, Rediff's Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya takes a look at the hits and misses, the highs and lows, the newsmakers and the dealbreakers in alphabetical order.
