Athletics
'It's Arshad's day,' says Neeraj Chopra after winning silver at Paris Olympics 2024
Neeraj Chopra also said he wants to ensure his focus is on competition, not on injury in future events.
Ace Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra followed his Tokyo 2021 gold with a silver medal at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem took away the gold medal with a monstrous 92.97m throw, which broke Andreas Thorkildsen's Olympic record.
Neeraj, who had an off day at the field, settled for the silver medal with his best effort of 89.45m, his season-best and only successful throw at Stade de France.
After finishing second to Arshad, the 26-year-old Indian athlete said, "Competition was really good. It was not my day, it was Arshad's day. At the Tokyo Olympics, the World Championships in Budapest or the Asian Games in China, it was my day."
"For every athlete, their body stays at a different level on the day of the competetion. Today's Arshad's body was at the peak. Whatever he did it turned out to be perfect," stated Neeraj.
Arshad finished the men's javelin throw event with another giant 91.79m throw to cement his legacy.
Displaying their off-the-field camaraderie, Neeraj emphasised that their feats in the Olympics will make India and Pakistan proud.
"Javelin Throw is not popular in India and Pakistan. I know Arshad worked very hard, it is great news for him and the people in Pakistan. He deserved to win tonight, we both made our countries proud," Neeraj said.
'Want to recover and play without fear'
Neeraj, India's greatest athlete across all sports and disciplines, said he was not fully fit during Thursday's final. Five of his six throws were fouled.
Despite having a poor day on the field, Neeraj still managed to win the silver medal, his second successive Olympic medal after the Tokyo Olympics gold, for his throw of 89.45 in the second effort. He pipped Anderson Peters of Grenada who won the bronze medal.
"Whenever I win a medal for my country, it makes me happy. My performance was good, but I need to work on a few things. I also have an injury which I need to heal," said Neeraj.
"I want to make sure that my focus during a competition is not on my injury during a competition. There are a lot of good throws in me and it will happen when I become fully fit and feel mentally ready," he added.
"But personally I feel I still have time to make improvement in my throws. And whatever injuries and shotcomines I have I will work on them," he stressed.
'My performance will be better in future'
After missing the top of the podium finish, Neeraj said, "National anthem was on my mind. Everyone hoped it would be played whenever I compete in the Olympics."
"But more opportunities will come in future where our national anthem will be played. If not in Paris somewhere else. It is sports, we have to accept that. Accept the defeat, my performance has always been good and it will be better in the future," he said.
Neeraj's silver was India's fifth medal at the Paris Olympics, with the remaining four bronze.
Talking about India's performance at the Paris Olympics 2024, the ace athlete said, "Overall, India's performances at the Paris Oympics has been good. Please, don't compare bronze, silver or gold. Athletes who come to compete here, they give their everything. Overall performance is good."
"But it is not that everytime our medal tally will increase. Yes, we lost some of the chances. But this Olympics showed that in future our medal tally will increase," Neeraj remarked.
