After cementing his place in the history books by winning the gold medal at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday, Indias ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has dedicated his victory to his fans in India who had to sacrifice their sleep to watch his victorious match.“I would like to thank every Indian, because they are staying up all night to support me. This medal is for them. I became an Olympic champion first, and now, I am a world champion. We [Indians] can do anything. Just keep working hard,” Chopra told journalists after his victory in Budapest.The Olympic champion becomes the javelin throw world champion ☄️🇮🇳s @Neeraj_chopra1 throws 88.17m to upgrade last years silver medal into glittering gold in Budapest 👏#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/8K1mIvcYmF— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 27, 2023Reflecting on his maiden World Championships triumph, he said, “Everyone said this is the only medal I was missing – it has been achieved now. I still need to hit the 90m mark. I thought I would be able to do it today, but winning the gold medal was the most important outcome. Many competitions are coming up and I have time on my side, so I will work harder for those competitions.”Despite his gold-winning stint, Chopra himself acknowledged that he didnt reach his peak performance. Notably, he crossed the 88m mark only in his second attempt, with his other throws measuring 86.32m, 84.64m, 87.73m, and 83.98m. He also had a foul throw in the opening round – becoming the only athlete not to register a throw.In a candid admission, he said, “I had planned to have a good first throw but it did not happen, owing to some technical problems. I was too careful about my throws and did not go at my 100% speed. When I dont go at full speed, I get the feeling that something is missing. I need to get myself to full fitness, to run a lot faster.”Neeraj Chopras victory congratulated by Indian Army, sporting iconsMeanwhile, Neeraj Chopras victory has sparked a flurry of celebrations and congratulations from across the country. The Indian Army took to social media to congratulate Chopra on his monumental victory. “Neeraj Chopra makes us proud again!! IndianArmy congratulates Subedar Neeraj Chopra on bagging Gold Medal in Mens Javelin at the World Athletics Championship 2023 in Budapest with a throw of 88.17 meters,” the Army wrote on the social media platform X.#NeerajChopra makes us #Proud again!!#IndianArmy congratulates Subedar Neeraj Chopra on bagging #GoldMedal🥇 in Mens #Javelin at World Athletics Championship 2023 in Budapest with a throw of 88.17 meters.@Neeraj_chopra1 pic.twitter.com/mV76vQetWy— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) August 27, 2023Prominent figures across various domains also celebrated Chopras historic feat.Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports Anurag Thakur tweeted, “Neeraj Chopra does it again! 88.17 Meters for gold. The golden boy of Indian athletics wins the mens javelin throw at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. With this, Neeraj Chopra becomes 1st Indian athlete to win a gold medal at the #WorldAthleticsChampionships. The entire nation is proud of your achievements and this moment will be remembered forever in Indian sporting history.”💪💪💪@Neeraj_chopra1 does it again! 🇮🇳88.17 Meters for 🥇The golden boy of Indian athletics wins the mens javelin throw at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. 🥇With this, Neeraj Chopra becomes 1st 🇮🇳 athlete to win a gold medal at the… pic.twitter.com/WLmjAXwyFy— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) August 27, 2023Cricketer Gautam Gambhir also joined the chorus of praise, tweeting, “Gold for our diamond!”Gold for our diamond!🥇🇮🇳#NeerajChopra #WorldAthleticsChampionship pic.twitter.com/dM3qi6NANF— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) August 27, 2023Indian womens hockey team player Rani Rampal took to X to write, “Congratulations to the New World Champion Neeraj Chopra. Entire nation is proud of you for scripting history by winning first ever gold for Indian athletics in the World Championship.”Congratulations to the New World Champion @Neeraj_chopra1 Entire nation is proud of you for scripting history by winning first ever gold for Indian athletics in the World Championship.#NeerajChopra pic.twitter.com/UeCanzXgKe— Rani Rampal (@imranirampal) August 27, 2023