With their “healthy competition” on the field and “strong friendship” off it, javelin superstars Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem have set out to fulfil their common mission of inspiring youngsters of India and Pakistan and getting them hooked on the sport.
Nadeem won the men’s javelin gold in the ongoing Paris Olympics with a stunning 92.97m throw — which was also an Olympic record — while Chopra, who was defending his title, took the silver with a season’s best effort of 89.45m.
“It’s already grown a lot. We’re already seeing more talented javelin throwers in India. The same is happening in Pakistan,” Chopra said when asked whether their success will lead to a boom in athletics in both India and Pakistan. “When we went to the Asian Games and Arshad couldn’t compete due to a knee injury, his replacement, Yasir Sultan, threw very well. The medal Arshad just won will inspire more kids to follow, which is great,” Chopra said on Jio Cinema.
He was referring to last year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, where he had won a gold.
Asked whether the India-Pakistan rivalry will switch from cricket to javelin, Chopra said, “That’ll be possible if we had more competitions like in cricket. We have two major competitions: the Olympics every four years and the World Championships every two years.
“If we had more competitions, more people would watch, like the Diamond League and some others,” said the 26-year-old from Khandra village near Panipat.
The 27-year-old Nadeem also spoke about the significance of Pakistan and India winning gold and silver in Paris Olympics.
“I’m really happy. Out of the hundreds of countries participating, Pakistan and India have performed really well. Neeraj won gold at the (2023) World Championships in Budapest, and this is a golden moment for me,” he said.
“Our friendship is really strong, and I wish it continues for a long time.”
Asked how many times he’s watched the clip of his Olympic record throw that fetched him the gold, he said, “I’ve watched it a few times, and I feel I have the capacity to do even better. One day I hope I can showcase this capacity.”
Chopra hoped that the competition with Nadeem would continue to grow.
“It was a very healthy competition, with Arshad doing a great job and breaking the Olympic record. Big congratulations to him. I wish our competition continues to be this strong.
“We will keep working hard and give javelin support in our countries while motivating kids who may want to take up the sport.”
On his efforts to breach the elusive 90m mark, Chopra said, “I’ve wanted to cross that mark since the 2018 Asian Games where I threw 88m. I feel like I’ll cross 90m, but there are technical and injury reasons behind why I’m struggling to hit my maximum reach.
“I have to work harder for that and keep myself fit.”
