Chennai, October 31: IPL 2021 champions Chennai Super Kings on Sunday (October 31) rewarded Olympic Gold medalist Neeraj Chopra with Rs. 1 Crore for his stellar achievement - winning gold in javelin throw - at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Chennai Super Kings also presented a special jersey with the number 8758 (highlighting his medal-winning effort of 87.58m) as a mark of respect to Neeraj, who joined Abhinav Bindra as only the second individual gold medallist in Olympics.
"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," said CSK CEO K.S Viswanathan.
"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."
The one with the Golden boy @Neeraj_chopra1 ! Super happy to hand our 💛 to the arms that made us proud!
— Chennai Super Kings - Mask P😷du Whistle P🥳du! (@ChennaiIPL) October 31, 2021
Read : https://t.co/qiiw18aLH6#WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁 pic.twitter.com/rMpHwWD2F7
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 Super Kings 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," Chopra said.
Apart from CSK's reward, Neeraj also received his customised Mahindra XUV 700 with 87.58 (his Olympics throw) imprinted on it from Mahindra on Saturday (October 30).
Showing his gratitude, Neeraj Chopra took to his Twitter and wrote, "Thank you @anandmahindra Ji for the new set of wheels with some very special customisation! I'm looking forward to taking the car out for a spin very soon."
Thank you @anandmahindra ji for the new set of wheels with some very special customisation! I'm looking forward to taking the car out for a spin very soon. 🙂 pic.twitter.com/doNwgOPogp
— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) October 30, 2021
Source: Media Release