New Delhi: Neeraj Chopra settled for India’s first silver medal in the 2024 edition of Olympics. Minutes after India’s ‘Golden Boy’ scripted history at the grandest stage, Chopra’s mother, Saroj Devi, revealed that her son braved an injury to secure a podium finish in Paris.
Tokyo Olympic gold medallist and reigning world champion was one and done in the qualification phase of the Paris Olympics. Neeraj’s first throw (89.34m) at the Paris Olympics sealed his final berth and the top spot for India in the qualification round of the men’s javelin event. Two days after headlining the group stage, Neeraj arrived in the javelin final as the defending champion. Neeraj only unleashed one clean throw (89.45m) as the 26-year-old was one and done even in the final.
Neeraj’s only successful throw at the Paris Games final earned India its fourth medal. Though Neeraj topped his qualification throw, the defending champion was upstaged by Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem in the final. Speaking to news agency ANI, Neeraj’s mother said that she would cook Neeraj’s favourite meal following the javelin star’s arrival from the Olympics. “We are very happy. For us, silver is also equal to gold. The one who got the gold is also like our son. He was injured, so we are happy with his performance. I will cook his favourite food,” she said.
Neeraj’s grandfather, Dharm Singh Chopra, said his grandson gave his best to extend India’s medal tally at the Paris Games. The Chopra family distributed sweets after Neeraj sealed the silver medal at the Paris Olympics. “He has given his best performance and won silver, adding one more medal to the country,” Neeraj’s grandfather noted.
Neeraj’s solitary legitimate attempt in the Paris final was the second-best throw of his impressive career. Even though Neeraj won silver, the javelin superstar has set the gold standard for Indian sport. Chopra is the first Indian in track and field to win back-to-back individual medals at the Olympics. Neeraj has joined ex-wrestler Sushil Kumar (2008 and 2012) and ace shuttler PV Sindhu (2016 and 2021) in the club of Indians with consecutive Summer Games medals.
Neeraj’s father, Satish Kumar, asserted that his son was carrying an injury that contributed to his second-best finish at the Olympics. “Everyone has their day. Today was Pakistan’s day. But we have won silver, and it is a proud thing for us. I think his groin injury had a part in his performance. He has won silver for the country. We are happy and proud. All the youths will get inspired by him,” Neeraj’s father concluded.
Pakistan’s Nadeem outclassed Neeraj to claim a historic gold medal for his country at the Paris Games. Nadeem fired a record-breaking throw of 92.97m to take the top podium spot in the men’s javelin final. Nadeem toppled Andreas Thorkildsen’s Olympic record (90.57m), which he created at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. While Nadeem bagged Pakistan’s first Olympic medal in athletics, Grenada’s Anderson Peters took home the bronze medal with his throw of 88.54.
