Defending champion Neeraj Chopra might have done his absolute best but it was not enough for him to bag his second Olympics gold medal in a row, as Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem took the yellow metal with a record-breaking effort. Yet, Neeraj became the first Indian track-and-field athlete to win two successive Olympic medals with a silver in men’s javelin throw. Nadeem managed an astonishing 92.97m in his second attempt to set the bar too high for the rest of the field, including Chopra, who seemed under pressure and managed just one legitimate throw — the silver-winning 89.45m in the second round.
Speaking to NDTV after the men’s javelin throw final, Neeraj admitted that god’s blessing was more with Arshad on the day, hence he took the gold medal.
“He produced an excellent throw. In sports, sometimes it’s your day, sometimes it’s someone else’s. Maybe god’s blessings were more with Arshad today. I tried my best and I am happy with the distance I managed to throw,” Neeraj said.
It was the season’s best effort from the Indian, topping his qualification throw of 89.34m, but nowhere close to being enough for gold.
On a candid note, Neeraj was also asked about the things he would like to eat now that his Olympics journey has concluded. But, having been in sports for so long, Neeraj said that he is past cravings.
“Since I have been in sports for a long time, I no longer crave for things. But yes, since I will return home, of course I’ll get to eat home-cooked food. As far as performances go, everyone here did great. I am happy that I won a medal for my country. Whatever little I couldn’t do, I would try and work on it for the next time,” he responded.
Neeraj also enjoyed the immense crowd support in Paris, contrary to the Tokyo Games where the stadiums were mostly empty.
“I personally love crowds a lot. In Tokyo, the stadiums were empty but there, there were a lot of people. I enjoy crowd pressure and feel it gets the best out of me. I had belief in myself for the final, but I think this (silver medal) is what was written in my destiny,” he said.
Only wrestler Sushil Kumar (2008 and 2012) and shuttler PV Sindhu (2016 and 2021) have won back-to-back Olympic medals.
The earlier Olympic record stood at 90.57m in the name of Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway, set during the 2008 Beijing Games.
Thorkildsen was watching the proceedings from the stands, along with three-time Olympic champion and world record (98.48m) holder Jan Zelezny of Czech Republic.
Grenada’s Anderson Peters grabbed the last podium place with an effort of 88.54m while Czech Republic’s Yakub Vadlejch finished fourth (88.50m) and was followed by Kenya’s Julius Yego (SB 87.72).
As many as seven athletes went beyond the 86m mark as the competitive field saw three season’s best and an Olympic record.
Keshorn Walcot (86.16) from Trinidad and Tobago also celebrated his season’s best show to finish seventh in the 12-man field.
Before tonight, Chopra had never lost to Nadeem in their 10 earlier meetings.
Nadeem’s monster throw — sixth longest in history — also came in his second attempt which was like a bolt from the blue that stunned the Stade de France.
With PTI Inputs
