Neeraj Chopra, Tokyo Olympics 2020 Gold Medallist, Admitted to Hospital With High Fever, Leaves Welcome Function Midway in Panipat

Neeraj returned home at his native Khandra village, around 15 km from Panipat, on Tuesday to a rousing reception from the locals.

Since his historic gold at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, star athlete Neeraj Chopra has been the center of attention wherever he goes. But it seems like the exertion of travelling and attending functions after functions have taken a toll on the young and talented Neeraj. All of these are the cons of stardom that the 23-year-old Javelin thrower had achieved after his success at the Tokyo 2020 Games. Recently, Neeraj had to leave his welcome ceremony at his village near Panipat midway due to a high fever on Tuesday.

Exhaustion and “slight” fever were seen as the major reasons behind Neeraj’s retrieval from the ceremony which was organised to celebrate his historic gold medal at Tokyo Olympics. Neeraj, who has been on a busy schedule since his return to the country on Monday last after winning India’s first Olympic medal in athletics, has taken a break to give his body some much-needed rest.

A source close to Chopra told PTI that the star athlete should be fine after a good rest and that he left the function as a precautionary measure.

Chopra has been attending various felicitation functions in Delhi. Finally, he returned home at his native Khandra village, around 15 km from Panipat, on Tuesday to a rousing reception from the locals.

Haryana: A feast for about 30,000 people prepared in
Samalkha, Panipat to welcome Olympic Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra. home “He will be receiving a grand welcome, I have prepared ‘churma’ for him. We will keep his gold medal in ‘mandir’ (temple),”says Neeraj’s mother Saroj Devi pic.twitter.com/LI34WOBqpZ

— ANI (@ANI) August 17, 2021

“A lot of people turned up and he reached the venue of the welcome function near his village on a cavalcade. It took time to reach the venue of the function,” the source said.

“But midway into the function he was feeling exhausted and started having slight fever. So, he left the function and had taken rest at a house nearby,” the source said.

“There are some rumours that he has been taken to a hospital. It is not like that. He is all right, it’s not a serious issue. Basically, he is feeling exhausted due to attending many functions non-stop after arrival from Tokyo. He is taking rest at a place not very far from his house.”

Asked why Chopra has not gone home, the source said, “He will go home, that is for sure, but he does not want a frenzy from people, including the media.”

The day Chopra returned from Tokyo, he and other Olympic medal winners were felicitated by the sports ministry. The next day, he attended a felicitation function organised by the Athletics Federation of India.

After that, Chopra developed high fever and missed the felicitation functions organised by the Punjab and Haryana governments on Thursday and Friday. He was tested for COVID-19 but returned negative.

He, however, made it to the high tea hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind for the Indian Olympic contingent.

On Sunday, Chopra was among the Tokyo Olympians who attended the Independence Day function at the Red Fort. In the evening, he was the cynosure of all eyes at the felicitation function organised by Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

(With PTI Inputs)