Five months before becoming an Olympic gold medalist, Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem was struggling for a new javelin in March 2024 and it was Neeraj Chopra, the silver medalist at Paris 2024, who had come out in support of his South Asian counterpart.
In a dramatic Olympic final that will be remembered for years to come, India’s Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem dominated the podium with a performance for the ages. Neeraj made history by becoming the first Indian track-and-field athlete to win two consecutive Olympic medals, securing a silver in the men’s javelin throw. However, the night truly belonged to Pakistan’s Arshad, who shattered expectations by setting a new Olympic record with a throw of 92.97 meters. Arshad secured his country’s first-ever individual gold medal at the Olympics.
Nadeem’s astonishing throw in his second attempt set a standard too high for the rest of the competitors, including Chopra, who despite the pressure, managed only one valid throw- a season-best of 89.45 meters, which earned him the silver. This was an improvement on his qualification throw of 89.34 meters but was not enough to claim gold.
Before this event, Chopra had never lost to Nadeem in their ten previous encounters. Nadeem’s incredible throw, which was the sixth-longest in history, stunned the audience at the Stade de France. Cut to five months before the javelin final, the new Olympic champion from Pakistan was struggling to acquire a new javelin in March 2024 and it was Neeraj who had to make a heartfelt plea to support Arshad.
“It has now got to a stage where the javelin is damaged and I have asked the national federation and my coach to do something about it before the Paris Olympics,” Arshad had told the media in March. In March 2024, Arshad revealed that he had been using the same javelin for nearly seven to eight years, a situation far from ideal for an athlete competing at the highest level.
Nadeem’s struggle to acquire a new, international-standard javelin was surprising, given his stature in the sport. “When I started off in 2015, competing in international events, I got this javelin… for an international athlete aiming to win a medal in the Olympic Games, you need proper equipment and training facilities,” Nadeem shared.
Neeraj was concerned when he got to know about his friend Nadeem’s predicament. Chopra said, “It is hard to believe that he has been struggling to get a new javelin. Given his credentials, this should not be a big issue at all.” He went on to emphasize that an athlete of Nadeem’s caliber deserves the best equipment and support, both from his national federation and potential sponsors.
Chopra’s comments reflect not just his respect for Nadeem as a competitor, but also his understanding of the challenges faced by athletes in their pursuit of excellence. “Arshad is a top javelin thrower, and I believe that the javelin makers will be more than happy to sponsor him and provide what he needs. This is a piece of advice from my side,” Chopra added.
Article source: indiatoday.in
