Chandigarh, Aug 9 (IANS): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday congratulated Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra for bagging the silver medal for the country in the event of the javelin throw.

In a message, the Chief Minister said Chopra has made the entire country proud through his rare and historic achievement. He said Chopra who had created history in the Tokyo Olympics by winning gold has now brought laurels for the country by bagging silver in the ongoing Paris Olympics.

Mann said medals bagged by Indian players during the ongoing Olympics will motivate other players for coming events.

The Chief Minister envisioned that the spectacular performance of this young athlete would inspire the coming generations to follow in his footsteps in future.

He expressed hope that Chopra will surely become a role model for the budding players of the country to excel in more events in the coming times.

Mann said such outstanding performances by players are the result of hard work, dedication and perseverance by these players in every game.

Chopra fell short of retaining his Olympic gold medal, finishing with a best throw of 89.45 metres. Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won the gold medal by throwing an astonishing 92.97 metres for victory.

Thousand of kilometres away but always close at heart, joy and celebrations busted on Friday in a village of Haryana’s Panipat as the family of Chopra, with the athlete’s gracious mother saying the “guy who got gold is also my child.”

The family said it was the love of the family, locals and his fans that turned into his greatest victory in two consecutive Olympics.

With grace, Neeraj Chopra’s mother Saroj Devi told the media, “I am happy with the silver, the guy who got gold (Arshad Nadeem) is also my child, everyone goes there after doing a lot of hard work.”

She said his son was working hard. “In a match, it’s about competition, not India and Pakistan. We all are preparing to welcome him.”

She said this was a different game as Haryana was known for wrestling.

The Chopras marked the occasion in traditional style, distributing laddoos among friends, relatives, and neighbours.

Neeraj Chopra’s father, Satish Kumar, said it was Pakistan’s day in the men’s javelin throw final.

“Everyone has their day. Today was Pakistan’s day. But we have won silver, and it is a proud thing for us,” he said, adding, “I think his injury had a part in his performance.”

Describing Neeraj as a ‘golden boy’, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini wrote on X, “The whole country had hopes and expectations from you and you lived up to them. You have created history by winning the silver medal for the country in Paris.

“It will be very difficult to match the record you have set by winning medals in two consecutive Olympics.”

All the countrymen and especially the people of Haryana are proud of this great achievement of yours.”

Neeraj, the eldest grandson of the Chopra family, was born on December 24, 1997, to Satish Chopra and Saroj Devi in Khandra village of Panipat district in Haryana.