Neeraj Chopra, the silver medalist in javelin throw at the Paris Olympics, expressed confidence in his ability to surpass the gold medal-winning performance of Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, but ultimately fell short due to physical limitations. Chopra, who had the best qualifying throw of 89.34m, recorded a distance of 89.45m in the final—his second-best ever—but Nadeem set an Olympic record with a 92.97m throw.
Chopra, speaking in a virtual interaction arranged by JSW, acknowledged the pressure Nadeem’s record-setting throw created. Despite a promising start, Chopra’s final performance was marked by a foul on his first attempt and only one legal throw of 89.45m.
Chopra’s silver medal continues India’s tradition of success in athletics, making him the second Indian male athlete to win back-to-back Olympic medals, following wrestler Sushil Kumar. PV Sindhu is the other Indian to achieve consecutive Olympic medals.
Currently training in Switzerland, Chopra plans to compete in the Lausanne Diamond League starting August 22. He expressed his commitment to refining his performance and preparing for future challenges.
