New Delhi: Ace Indian track and field athlete Neeraj Chopra touched upon his Paris Olympics competition against rival Arshad Nadeem from Pakistan in the men’s javelin throw final. He said that it was Arshad’s day and his silver was not an achievement that can be undermined.
While there were massive hopes from the country for Neeraj to defend his gold medal (achieved in Tokyo) in the French capital this year. However, the 26-year-old Indian wasn’t at his absolute best during the final. He recorded five fouls out of the six allotted attempts.
Arshad hurled the spear for a monstrous distance of 92.97m in his second attempt, which is now an Olympic record. It was a copious throw that secured the gold medal for the 27-year-old Pakistani athlete, ending his country’s wait for an Olympic medal after 32 years.
Neeraj, on the other hand, settled for a silver medal with his only legit throw securing him a distance of 89.45m. Looking back at the final of the summit clash at the Stade de France, Neeraj said that he was disappointed by not finishing at the pole position, but credited Arshad for his phenomenal show.
“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,” Chopra told news agency PTI in an interview.
“The gold medal is won by the person to whom the day belongs to. That day was (Arshad) Nadeem’s day,” he added.
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How Neeraj takes his rivalry with Arshad Nadeem
Neeraj and Arshad have been competing for last eight years on the field since the two first faced each other in 2016 during South Asian Games in Guwahati. In the nine straight meetings between the Indo-Pak competitors, Neeraj was the one to always have the edge until Arshad turned the tables in Paris to muster his first win against his friend.
“In javelin, there are no two teams (playing against each other), but there are 12 athletes from different countries, who are competing with each other. I have been competing with Nadeem since 2016, and it is for the first time that he has won,” Neeraj said.
“He (Nadeem) is a nice person, speaks in a good manner, gives respect, so (I) feel good,” he added.
The season for athletics has ended with the conclusion of the Diamond League Final in September in Brussels. Chopra finished second in the Diamond League Final with a throw of 87.86m, missing the top spot by a whisker to Grenada’s Anderson Peters (87.87m throw for the title).
