Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan created history by capturing the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, whereas Neeraj Chopra, the “golden boy” of India, could only manage a silver medal.
India as a whole pondered what appeared to be an Olympic campaign that would not result in a single gold medal for the country, while Chopra stated it was time to evaluate his performance and concentrate on future improvements. Anand Mahindra, a businessman, too expressed his disappointment on social media about Neeraj losing out on the gold medal. However, he still views himself as a hero deserving of gold due to his constancy and humility.
Chopra won silver with a best throw of 89.45 meters at the Paris Olympics. His best throw came on his second attempt, but four consecutive fouls hindered his chances of winning gold. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Anand Mahindra said had a big confession to make.
“I confess. I was devastated last night when @Neeraj_chopra1 didn’t win his second Olympic gold medal. But, this morning, I first want to congratulate Arshad Nadeem for his record-breaking throw. AND his sportsmanship & camaraderie with Neeraj.
“Then I want to tell Neeraj that he wins a GOLD medal for consistency. He didn’t fumble, get fouled outor get flustered. He quietly made his best throw of the season.
“And brought home a back to back medal and India’s first Silver. Reliable, predictable & consistent performance is the hallmark of a great sportsperson. Neeraj you are a truly great athlete and a good human being. You have made us all proud,” he wrote on X.
I confess.
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) August 9, 2024
I was devastated last night when @Neeraj_chopra1 didn’t win his second Olympic gold medal.
But, this morning, I first want to congratulate Arshad Nadeem for his record-breaking throw.
AND his sportsmanship & camaraderie with Neeraj.
Then I want to tell Neeraj… pic.twitter.com/4KjPPrDh2e
Following his performance, Chopra became the second male athlete post-independence to win two Olympic medals in an individual event.
Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won gold with a throw of 92.97 meters, setting a new Olympic record and surpassing Denmark’s Andreas Thorkildsen’s mark from Beijing 2008. Grenada’s Anderson Peters secured bronze with a throw of 88.54 meters.
Earlier, Chopra had achieved a throw of 89.34 meters in the Group B qualification round, his second-best all-time throw. Despite a competitive rivalry with Nadeem, where Chopra led 9-0 in their head-to-head matchups, Nadeem’s throw of 90.18 meters at the 2022 Commonwealth Games exceeded Chopra’s top effort.
