Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra’s mother, Saroj Devi, captured the hearts of fans across the border with her touching remarks about Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who defeated her son to win the gold medal in the javelin final of the Paris Olympics 2024.
Arshad Nadeem ended Pakistan’s 32-year medal drought in the Olympics after bagging a gold medal with the longest throw of 92.97 meters.
Arshad set the Olympic record with a 92.97m throw, going past Norway’s Andreas Thorkildsen, who threw farthest at 90.57 during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
His throw was enough for him to seal the Gold medal, the first-ever individual gold medal in the Olympics for Pakistan.
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Meanwhile, Neeraj Chopra secured the silver medal with an 89.45m throw in his second attempt while all of his other attempts were deemed as “No Throw”.
However, Chopra’s mother was happy with her son’s performance and expressed satisfaction over the silver medal victory. She also stated that Arshad Nadeem is also her son and she is happy for his victory.
“I am happy with the silver, the guy who got gold (Arshad Nadeem) is also my child. Everyone goes there after doing a lot of hard work,” Neeraj Chopra’s mother Saroj Devi said.
Her words have been widely praised for their warmth and sportsmanship, serving as a reminder of the dedication and perseverance required in Olympic competitions.
Arshad failed to make a mark in his first attempt as it was deemed as “No Throw”.
Meanwhile, Indian rival also Neeraj Chopra failed to make a mark in his first attempt before he recovered with an 89.45m throw. His third attempt was also ruled out.
All 12 participants were to throw three times in the first stage, after which the top eight athletes had three more throws.
For the unversed, Arshad Nadeem qualified in the final round of the Javelin throw on Tuesday with an 86.59-meter throw in his first attempt during the qualification round.