Neeraj Chopra has been the best track and field athlete for India in recent years. He won the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and a silver in the Paris Olympics 2024. Except for that, he has won several other medals and competitions for India in recent years. However, in recent months he has not delivered to his best levels due to surgery. After his Paris heartbreak of missing out on the gold medal.
He has opened up about his counterpart Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem who won the gold in Paris. The Indian believes nothing went wrong in his silver-winning performance in the Paris Olympics final earlier this year. Arshad Nadeem emerged as champion as the “day belonged to him”. The 26-year-old became the first Indian track-and-field athlete to win two successive Olympic medals by clinching a silver with a throw of 89.45m on August 8.
Nadeem dominated the day, setting a new Olympic record of 92.97m to win his country’s first individual gold medal in the event. He dismissed any notion of an India-Pakistan rivalry in javelin throw competitions, as witnessed in cricket and hockey. This was a heartful moment for both the athletes as they are neighbours and both finished on the podium. They congratulated each other after their success.
Neeraj Chopra is icon for India
Is Neeraj Chopra just making excuses? Chopra told PTI in an interview, “Nothing was wrong, everything was right. The throw was also good. Getting a silver (medal) in the Olympics is also not a small thing. There was disappointment. But, I feel that the competition was very good, and it was tough. The gold medal is won by the person to whom the day belongs to. That day was (Arshad) Nadeem’s day.”
This showcases the mutual respect between both athletes. Despite the political turmoil and every other aspect both the athletes keeping everything aside praised each other. The Indian Javler was in Lucknow on Saturday to inaugurate Under Armour’s larger, new format brand house store at the Phoenix Palassio Mall.
