Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra says nothing went wrong in his silver-winning performance in the Paris Olympics final earlier this year. He said Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem emerged champion as the “day belonged to him”.
Chopra became the first Indian track-and-field athlete to win two successive Olympic medals by clinching a silver with a throw of 89.45m on August 8. Still, the day belonged to Nadeem, who destroyed the field with a new Olympic record effort of 92.97m for his country’s maiden individual gold at the showpiece.
“Nothing was wrong, everything was right. The throw was also good. Getting a silver (medal) in the Olympics is also not a small thing. There was disappointment. But, I feel that the competition was good, and it was tough,” Chopra told PTI in an interview.
“The gold medal is won by the person to whom the day belongs. That day was (Arshad) Nadeem’s day.”
He brushed aside any notion of India-Pakistan rivalry in the javelin throw competition, replacing the same seen, in cricket and hockey.
“In javelin, there are no two teams (playing against each other), but there are 12 athletes from different countries, who are competing with each other. I have been competing with Nadeem since 2016, and it is the first time he won,” said the 26-year-old athlete from Khandra village in Haryana’s Panipat district.
“He (Nadeem) is a nice person, speaks in a good manner, gives respect, so (I) feel good.”
Chopra said it was a sudden moment when he picked a javelin for the first time.
“It (taking up javelin throw) was a sudden moment. I did not know anything about it. When I went to the ground, at that time, it was decided,” said Chopra, who had picked up a javelin for the first time in 2011.
Asked what is required the most by a javelin thrower --- strength, stamina, mental endurance --, he said, “It is the combination of all these things, and one thing will not work. And, with all these things combined, the person who will have the best technique will perform well.”
Advising the youth, Chopra said, “To the youth, I would say that they should not assume in the starting itself that they would be bagging medals. They should exercise patience because sports consume a lot of your time.
“Your body needs time to grow, your muscles become strong in a good manner. Have patience, and work on your techniques.”
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