Paris, Aug 7 (IANS): As the defending Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra prepares to compete for his second Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games, a unique "if Neeraj Chopra wins gold" trend went viral on social media, generating even more anticipation for Chopra's performance in the quadrennial showpiece.
Joining the trend is none other than Indian star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who announced that he would reward a lucky winner with Rs 100089 if Neeraj clinches the gold medal.
"If Neeraj Chopra win a gold medal tomorrow, I will pay 100089 rupees to lucky winner who likes the tweet and comment most. And for the rest top 10 people trying to get attention will get flight tickets . Let’s get support from india and outside the world for my brother," Pant posted on X.
Indian-origin start-up Atlys, an online platform used by travel agents to apply for visas to various places and destinations, CEO promised to provide free visas to its users if Chopra wins a gold at the Olympics via his on LinkedIn post.
Chopra, who is competing in his second Olympics in Paris, stormed into the men’s javelin throw final by outclassing the field in the qualification in his first attempt.
At the Stade de France, Neeraj produced a monster 89.34m throw on his very first attempt to breach the direct qualification standard of 84m. It was the second-best throw of the reigning world champion’s career.
He also logged his season’s best in the qualification round in Paris. Before this, Chopra had achieved a mark of 88.36m to finish second at the Doha Diamond League in May.
The men’s javelin throw final is scheduled for Thursday and will take place at Stade de France.