Arshad Nadeem beat Neeraj Chopra to Olympics gold© X (Twitter)
India's 'golden boy, Neeraj Chopra, could only fetch a silver medal at the Paris Olympics as Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem made history for his nation by winning the gold medal. While Chopra said it was time to assess his performance and focus on future improvements, the entire India reflected on what seems like an Olympics campaign that would not fetch India a single gold medal. Even businessman Anand Mahindra took to social media, admitting that he was devastated to see Neeraj miss out on the gold medal. But, for him, he still is a hero who is worthy of gold because of his humility and consistency.
Chopra won silver with a best throw of 89.45 meters at the Paris Olympics. His best throw came on his second attempt, but four consecutive fouls hindered his chances of winning gold. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Anand Mahindra said had a big confession to make.
"I confess. I was devastated last night when @Neeraj_chopra1 didn't win his second Olympic gold medal. But, this morning, I first want to congratulate Arshad Nadeem for his record-breaking throw. AND his sportsmanship & camaraderie with Neeraj.
"Then I want to tell Neeraj that he wins a GOLD medal for consistency. He didn't fumble, get fouled outor get flustered. He quietly made his best throw of the season.
"And brought home a back to back medal and India's first Silver. Reliable, predictable & consistent performance is the hallmark of a great sportsperson. Neeraj you are a truly great athlete and a good human being. You have made us all proud," he wrote on X.
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) August 9, 2024I confess.
I was devastated last night when @Neeraj_chopra1 didn't win his second Olympic gold medal.
But, this morning, I first want to congratulate Arshad Nadeem for his record-breaking throw.
AND his sportsmanship & camaraderie with Neeraj.Then I want to tell Neeraj… pic.twitter.com/4KjPPrDh2e
Following his performance, Chopra became the second male athlete post-independence to win two Olympic medals in an individual event.
Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem won gold with a throw of 92.97 meters, setting a new Olympic record and surpassing Denmark's Andreas Thorkildsen's mark from Beijing 2008. Grenada's Anderson Peters secured bronze with a throw of 88.54 meters.
Earlier, Chopra had achieved a throw of 89.34 meters in the Group B qualification round, his second-best all-time throw. Despite a competitive rivalry with Nadeem, where Chopra led 9-0 in their head-to-head matchups, Nadeem's throw of 90.18 meters at the 2022 Commonwealth Games exceeded Chopra's top effort.
With ANI Inputs