India’s Olympic contingent here threw a warm reception for javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra after he became the country’s first track-and-field gold-medallist at the Games that will end this evening.

Indian athletes and officials, including men’s hockey skipper Manpreet Singh, lauded Neeraj’s historic achievement on Saturday in a small celebration at the Games Village. Following a cake cutting ceremony, Manpreet showered praise on India’s first individual gold medal winner in Olympics’ track and field history. “The whole country is talking about Neeraj at the moment. He has done all the hard work and he deserves it [the gold]. We all are proud of him. I also want to congratulate all the athletes who gave their best at the Olympics,” said Manpreet.