Congratulating Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra for winning a gold medal in Tokyo Olympics, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said the athlete's achievement brings laurels for the Indian Army.

"Congratulations to India's ace Javelin Thrower Neeraj Chopra for winning the prestigious Track and Field medal for the first time in the history of Independent India. The gold medal in the Javelin throw event at the #Olympics is unprecedented. Proud of him for creating history!" tweeted Singh.

He further said Neeraj Chopra's achievement is a historic and proud moment for the entire country including the Indian Armed Forces.

"The Golden victory of Subedar Neeraj Chopra at the Olympics brings laurels for the Indian Army. He performed like a true soldier at the Olympics. It is indeed a historic and proud moment for the entire country including the Indian Armed Forces! Many congratulations to him!" added Singh.

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat also congratulated Chopra while adding that he has made the Armed Forces proud.

"Neeraj Chopra has proven that when there is a will there is a way. He has done the Armed Forces and the Nation proud like many other Olympians who have created history in TOKYO 2020. We are confident you will continue to reach greater heights in the years to follow. Your achievement will inspire and motivate other sportspersons to aspire and succeed to bring bigger laurels and greater honour to our Nation," said Rawat.

Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra created history on Saturday as he became the first athlete from the country to win a gold in a track and field event in the Olympics. He threw a distance of 87.58m to pick the gold at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics.

Neeraj began his quest for medal with a massive throw of 87.03 meters and was leading the pack after the end of first attempt. He bettered it with the second throw of 87.58m. While he wasn't able to improve any further, it was enough to get him the coveted medal. He is now the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra to win a gold medal in individual events.

India has now won seven medals in the multi-sporting event, its best ever performance at the Olympics. Bajrang Punia (Bronze), Mirabai Chanu (Silver), PV Sindhu (Bronze), Lovlina Borgohain (bronze), men's hockey team (Bronze), and Ravi Kumar Dahiya (Silver) have also won medals.