A superstar in the Indian sporting spectrum, Neeraj Chopra signed for silver at the Paris Olympics after being pipped by Pakistani record holder Arshad Nadeem in the men’s javelin throw final. While fans in India lamented the lost opportunity, seeing Neeraj unable to retain his gold medal at the Paris Games, the athlete’s mother had no regrets as the man who won the gold, Arshad, is also like her son. The comments made by Neeraj’s mother influenced everyone on social media, including Pakistani cricket legend Shoaib Akhtar.
“We are happy with the silver. The one who won the gold (Arshad Nadeem) is also my son,” said Saroj Devi after the final, speaking to ANI.
“Gold jis ka hai, wo bhi hamara he larka hai.” Yeh baat sirf aik maa he keh sakti hai. Incredible. (The person who won the gold is also our son. That can only be said by a mother. Amazing.),” Akhtar tweeted, in response to the comment made by Neeraj’s mother.
“Gold jis ka hai, wo bhi hamara he larka hai.”
Yeh baat sirf aik maa he keh sakti hai. Incredible.-Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) August 9, 2024
With Chopra’s silver and four bronze medals, three of which came from the shooting contingent last week, India was ranked 63rd in the medals table. Arch-nemesis Pakistan were 10 steps higher thanks to Nadeem’s gold, the country’s only medal in the big event.
A day after wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s painful disqualification in the 50kg gold medal match, the Indian contingent was desperately hoping for medals from the hockey team and Chopra.
Both delivered, but Chopra, despite becoming a genuine legend in Indian athletics with his back-to-back Olympic medals, was a bit underwhelming, managing only one legitimate throw, the medal-winning 89.45m effort.
It was his best performance of the season, but not enough to guarantee him gold, which was won by Nadeem with a throw of 92.97m, a new Olympic record that left the Stade de France stunned.
The previous Olympic record was 90.57 m, held by Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway, set during the 2008 Beijing Games.
Thorkildsen watched the events from the stands, along with three-time Olympic champion and world record holder (98.48m), Jan Zelezny, from the Czech Republic.
Even so, Chopra became only the third Indian and the first in athletics to win consecutive individual Olympic medals.
Only wrestler Sushil Kumar (2008 and 2012) and shuttler PV Sindhu (2016 and 2021) have won consecutive Olympic medals.
With PTI inputs
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