The Congress on Monday hailed Neeraj Chopra for winning a gold medal in the men's javelin at the World Athletics Championships and said he is not only a world champion but also a true champion outside of the track field.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the magnificent performance of Chopra has again made India proud "We are thrilled to witness that his brilliance, dedication and hard work has now made him the first Indian to win a gold at the prestigious World Athletics Championships and added another feather to his growing list of stupendous achievements," Kharge said in a post on X.

"Many congratulations Neeraj! May you grow from strength to strength and keep inspiring young sportspersons," he said.

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi also hailed Chopra's feat and congratulated him.

"Once again he has held India's head high on the world stage. The coming generations of sportspersons of the country will continue to get inspired by Neeraj's commitment and discipline," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on Facebook.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Chopra's gold medal in the javelin throw was fantastic.

He's not only a world champion but also a true champion outside of the track field, he said.

"Who can forget his courageous stance earlier in May this year, when the protesting women wrestlers were dragged on the streets of the national capital," Ramesh said.

At the same time, the performance of our 4×400 metre relay team of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi and Rajesh Ramesh truly captured the nation's hearts, the Congress leader said.

"Their performance demonstrates the spirit of: Judega Bharat Jeetega INDIA," Ramesh said.

Chopra on Sunday scripted history yet again as he became the first Indian to win a gold medal in the World Athletics Championships with a big throw of 88.17m in the men's javelin final in Budapest, Hungary.

In another first, three Indians finished in top eight with Kishore Jena (84.77m) and DP Manu (84.14m) taking the fifth and sixth spots, respectively. Never before did three Indians finish in the top eight of an event in the World Championships.

India's men's 4x400m relay team finished fifth in the final of the 2023 World Athletics Championships. It had put up a spirited performance in the heats to finish a close second behind the US team.

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