Neeraj Chopra: Unsettled by Arshad Nadeem Loss, Aims to Surpass Paris Silver

NEW DELHI: Neeraj Chopra was pleased with his silver medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 but felt it wasn't enough. He acknowledged that it was Arshad Nadeem's day.

In just 10 seconds, Neeraj Chopra made a strong statement at the 2024 Paris Olympics by throwing 89.43m in his first attempt of the qualifiers, taking the top spot with his season-best and the second-best throw of his career.

He was going to defend his javelin title, but Arshad Nadeem's Olympic-record-breaking throw caught him off guard and he finished second. However he won silver, Neeraj, 26, said he wouldn't be fulfilled until he makes much more prominent progress.

In the men's javelin final, Nadeem had a slow start, but on his second attempt, he threw an incredible 92.97 meters, breaking Andreas Thorkildsen's 2008 record of 90.57 meters and setting a new Olympic record.

In the second round, Neeraj finished in second place with a throw of 89.45 meters. However, he was unable to overcome Nadeem's throws. Nadeem finished with a last toss of 91.79m, which almost broke the Olympic record.

Nadeem became Pakistan's first Olympic medalist since 1992 after Neeraj struggled in the final, throwing only one valid throw. As a result, he lost the competition and the title.

After the final, Neeraj congratulated his friend Nadeem and admitted it was his first loss to Nadeem in eight years of javelin competitions.

Neeraj mentioned that he had been competing against Arshad since 2016 but had never lost to him before. He acknowledged that Arshad had worked very hard and was better that night, and he extended his congratulations to him.

Though not gold, Neeraj made history as India’s first silver medalist at the Paris Olympics. He became the fifth athlete to win two Olympic medals, joining Norman Pritchard, Sushil Kumar, PV Sindhu, and Manu Bhaker.

Neeraj is also one of only three athletes to win medals at two different Summer Games and the first to win back-to-back medals in track and field.

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