New Delhi: Neeraj Chopra apologised for missing out on his second successive gold medal at the Paris Olympics 2024, days after bagging the silver medal in the men’s javelin throw final. Neeraj finished second behind Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem in the final with his best effort of 89.45m which was also his best throw of the season.
The Tokyo Olympics 2020 gold medallist was the favourite to retain his title in Paris. However, Pakistan’s Nadeem produced a stunning throw of 92.97m to snatch the gold medal from Neeraj. The Indian javelin star’s best was not enough on a day when Nadeem crossed the 90m mark twice in the final.
Nonetheless, it was still a stellar feat from Neeraj to win a gold medal and a silver medal in back-to-back Olympics as he became India’s most successful individual Olympian of all time. Speaking at an event in Paris, the javelin star won hearts when he apologised for failing to finish on the top of the podium. Neeraj said he wanted the national anthem to play again in Paris but was not able to achieve that.
“There’s nothing much to say, but I’ve brought something to show you all, sorry, like last time, there was no national anthem was played, what I had thought, didn’t happen but a medal is a medal, I worked hard and winning a medal for the country and taking a lap of the track with the flag, that’s a different feeling all together,” Neeraj said in Hindi at the event. A video of his remarks has gone viral on social media.
Watch Neeraj apologises for missing out on gold medal at Paris Olympics:
Neeraj Chopra ने कहाँ Gold Medal सोचा कर आया था लेकिन Medal तो medal होता है 🇮🇳❤️ pic.twitter.com/LAcObqtYcO
— Pooja Bishnoi (@poojabishnoi36) August 10, 2024
Both Neeraj and Arshad started the men’s javelin final with a foul throw. However, Arshad threw the spear a mighty 92.97m in his second attempt to seal the title. Neeraj came up with a throw of 89.45m in his second attempt but it was not enough to pip Arshad, who finished the final with another impressive throw of 91.79m.
Five of Neeraj’s six throws in the final were foul throws but his best effort of 89.45m was enough to secure him the silver medal while Arshad’s second attempt was enough to seal him the gold medal. Arshad broke the Olympic record held by Andreas Thorkildsen with his 92.97m effort and scripted history by becoming Pakistan’s first individual gold medallist.
Neeraj Chopra enters record books
Neeraj entered record books with his silver medal at the Paris Games as he became the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal and a silver medal at the Olympics. Neeraj also became the fourth Indian after the likes of PV Sindhu, Sushil Kumar and Manu Bhaker to win two individual Olympic medals post-independence.
A video of Neeraj Chopra apologising for missing out on a gold medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 is going viral on social media. The humble javlein star’s gesture has won hearts of fans. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
