Neeraj Chopra, Arshad Nadeem and Peters Anderson
Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Neeraj Chopra missed the first place in the javelin throw final and had to settle for the silver medal. Neeraj won the silver medal with a throw of less than 90 meters while Nadeem won the gold medal with an Olympic record with a brilliant throw of 92.97 meters. Neeraj had a great opportunity to defend his title at the Paris Olympics but he could not do so. However, Neeraj won the silver with a season best throw of 89.45 meters. Anderson Peters of Grenada finished third with a throw of 88.54 meters. After the javelin throw final was over, the regret of not winning the gold was slightly visible on Neeraj’s face. Even during the medal ceremony, Neeraj did not smile much and left quietly after receiving the medal. Pakistan’s national anthem was played during the medal ceremony because Arshad Nadeem had won the gold by breaking the Olympic record.
Neeraj may have won the silver medal in Paris, but in the next Olympics, he will be focused on winning the gold medal. Neeraj has said this big thing in his message to the countrymen. Neeraj Chopra wrote on Instagram, “It felt great to win another medal for India in the Olympic Games. This time our national anthem could not be played in Paris, but the hard work ahead will be for that moment.”
People forget quickly
Meanwhile, Neeraj also expressed his views on Indian female wrestler Vinesh Phogat who was disqualified in the Paris Olympics. Regarding Vinesh Phogat, Neeraj Chopra said that it will be good if you get a medal, if you don’t get one then people will remember you only for a few days. If you don’t get a podium finish then people forget you very quickly. Neeraj said that he is just afraid of this.
Let us tell you, before the Paris Olympics, Neeraj’s record was very good over Arshad. In 10 matches, Neeraj always dominated Nadeem but this time the gold went to the Pakistani athlete. Neeraj may have won silver but his name has been included in the special club of those select athletes in the history of Indian sports who have done the great feat of winning medals in 2 consecutive Olympics. Before Neeraj, wrestler Sushil Kumar (2008 and 2012) and shuttler PV Sindhu (2016 and 2021) had won medals in 2 consecutive Olympic Games.