Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has announced a reward of INR 1 crore for India's track and field athlete Neeraj Chopra. He won a gold medal for India in Javelin throw at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday (August 7).
CSK made the announcement about the reward through a press release. "To commemorate this special and historic feat, on behalf of the fans, Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd., India's much loved and celebrated sports team, and Lieutenant Colonel MS Dhoni extend their wishes to Neeraj Chopra, a Junior Commissioned Officer in Indian Army," the team said in a release.
On 15 May 2016, Subedar Neeraj enlisted in the 4 Rajputana Rifles as a Direct Entry Naib Subedar. After joining the Indian Army, he was selected for training at the Mission Olympics Wing and the Army Sports Institute in Pune.
Apart from the reward, CSK said they will also be creating a special jersey with the number 8758 as a mark of respect to Chopra.
"We as Indians are proud of Neeraj Chopra as his effort at Tokyo 2020 will inspire millions of Indians to take up sport and instill belief in them to be able to compete and excel at the highest level in any discipline of the sport. His Gold medal-winning throw of 87.58m in the Men's Javelin has galvanized the entire nation," the release quoted a CSK spokesperson.
The franchise also shared it on their official Twitter account and wrote that they are saluting the golden arm of India, Neeraj for his Throw of the Century.
"Anbuden saluting the golden arm of India, for the Throw of the Century! 8️⃣7⃣.5⃣8⃣ ???????? CSK honours the stellar achievement by @Neeraj_chopra1 with Rs. 1 Crore," wrote CSK on Twitter after Neeraj threw 87.58m in the finals to win India's first track-and-field Olympics medal.
