Divided by borders, united by sport: The great camaraderie between Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem

New Delhi: In one of the heartwarming moments in the history of the Olympics, India’s Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem showed great camaraderie following the men’s javelin final at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Despite the bitter relations between the two Asian countries, both Neeraj and Arshad have great mutual respect for each other and it was on full display at the Stade de France on Thursday.

Nadeem stunned the reigning Olympic champion from India with an Olympic record throw of 92.97 to claim Pakistan’s first individual gold at the Summer Games. While Arshad stood on the top of the podium, Neeraj had to settle for a silver.

Neeraj second-best at Paris 2024

India’s ‘Golden Boy’ was put under pressure by his Pakistani counterpart who laid down the marker with a gigantic throw. Neeraj gave a decent response with an 89.45 but couldn’t capitalise on the momentum.

The performance was very unlike Neeraj, who registered just one valid and a whopping five foul throws. The battle, it seemed, was over in the second round itself, when Nadeem shattered the Olympic record with the massive throw.

It was Nadeem’s first victory over his Indian rival, one he would savour for a lifetime.

Following the thrilling event, both athletes were involved in a heartwarming moment. Despite the animosity between the two nations and a fierce rivalry on the field between the two athletes, both shared a warm hug.

Dil Dil Pakistan, for Arshad Nadeem

The Pakistan athlete, who hails from Khanewal district in Punjab province, has endured a tough journey due to a lack of resources and adequate facilities from the Pakistan government but his never-give-up attitude helped him script history at the biggest stage in the sporting world.

Besides hurling the biggest throw in Olympic history, Nadeem broke one more record on Thursday. His javelin journey has seen tough times due to a lack of resources and adequate facilities from the Pakistan government but his resilience got him to the grand stage.

After breaking the Olympic record with a throw of 92.97 metres on the second attempt, he then recorded a distance of 91.79 metres on his final try and became the first athlete to register two 90-metre throws in the Olympic javelin final.

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 Paris 2024 Olympics: Following the thrilling men’s javelin event, Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem were involved in a heartwarming moment.  Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today