Honoured to be awarded Khel Ratna: Neeraj Chopra

Named for the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna after winning a historic gold in the Tokyo Olympics, star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on Wednesday said he would continue to work hard to bring more laurels for the country.

The 23-year old Chopra, who became only the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold in the Tokyo Games, is among the 12 sportspersons named for the country's highest sporting award.

Also read: Hockey captain Manpreet Singh added to Khel Ratna winners; sports ministry okays 35 Arjuna awardees

"Very honoured to be awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna alongside some outstanding sportspersons. Aap sabhi ke sahyog aur support ke liye tahe dil se dhanyavad (Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support from all of you)," he said in a tweet.

"Koshish ye hi rahegi ki aise hi apne performances se desh ke liya aur success haasil kar paun! (I will continue to work to achieve more success for the country through my performances)."

With a throw of 87.58m on August 7 in Tokyo, Chopra became the first Indian to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics.

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