Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra meets Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar

Chandigarh: Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra on Wednesday met Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and said he would continue to work hard to make the state and the country proud by his achievements. Chopra, who could not attend a felicitation function organized by the state government on 13 August due to illness, said only sports-related topics were discussed during his meeting with Khattar. “It is a great feeling that today I am meeting the Chief Minister. I will try my level best to make Haryana and the nation proud in the upcoming sports events,” Chopra said. Khattar said Chopra, who won gold in javelin throw in Tokyo Olympics earlier this month, has not only brought laurels for the country but also for his native village, family and Haryana. He said Chopra’s family has a big contribution to this achievement. It is because of the contribution of the family, Chopra had made the nation and Haryana proud, the chief minister said. A detailed discussion was held about Chopra’s coach and his national and international record in the javelin throw event, according to an official release. The CM honoured Chopra by presenting him a shawl, a memento and the holy book Shrimad Bhagavad Gita. Khattar also honoured Chopra’s uncle Bhim, who accompanied him. Bhim invited the CM to come to their native village Khandra to which Khattar assured that he would soon make a programme for the same. The CM said developing Haryana as a sports hub is the priority of the state government. For this, athletes like Chopra will certainly play a pivotal role to inspire the younger generation, the CM said. He said the Centre of Excellence for Athletics being set up in Panchkula would prove to be effective for the promotion of sports. Sports Minister Sandeep Singh was also present on the occasion.