Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally reached out to Neeraj Chopra following the Indian athlete's impressive silver medal win in the men's javelin event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Despite delivering a season's best performance with a throw of 89.45 meters at the Stade de France on Thursday, August 8, Neeraj fell just short of the gold medal.
The gold was claimed by Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem with a remarkable throw of 92.97 meters, while Grenada's Anderson Peters secured the bronze with a throw of 88.54 meters. Prime Minister Modi took the time to congratulate Neeraj on his outstanding achievement and for proudly bringing home the silver medal.
“You made our country proud once again and people from India were watching you last night with a lot of hope,” PM Modi said on the call.
The Prime Minister inquired about Neeraj's adductor injury that had been causing him discomfort leading up to the quadrennial event in Paris. Neeraj had previously expressed his intention to seek medical advice to address the issue back in June of this year.
“It’s amazing how you have managed yourself and your game despite injury,” PM Modi said. “When we meet, you’ll give me the details of your injury. We will discuss about it and we will figure out what I can do.”
The PM also commended Neeraj's mother for her sportsmanlike spirit, as her son was unable to defend his Olympic title in the javelin final.
“The interview of your mother showed the spirit of a sports family. The way she spoke about the gold medal where she said ‘he is also my son’ was beautiful,” the PM said.
"We are happy with the silver. The one who got the gold is also like our son. He was injured, so we are happy with his performance,” Neeraj’s mother, Saroj Devi, had said.
Neeraj had a rocky start, making a foul throw in his first attempt. However, he quickly redeemed himself with a brilliant throw in his second attempt, securing a spot in the silver medal position. Despite subsequent foul throws, his second attempt solidified his place among the medalists.
Notably, Neeraj joins the ranks of esteemed Indian athletes such as wrestler Sushil Kumar and badminton star PV Sindhu as only the third Indian to win medals in consecutive Olympic games. Furthermore, Neeraj stands alongside Abhinav Bindra as one of only two Indians to have secured an individual gold for India in the history of this prestigious event.
Also read| The untold story of Arshad Nadeem: Left cricket for javelin, one advice changed Pakistan's star athlete
