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The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, congratulated Neeraj Chopra, the reigning world champion, for winning a silver medal in the men’s javelin throw final at the Paris Olympics 2024. PM Modi spoke to Neeraj Chopra about how he made India proud once again on the world stage, while lauding the sportsman spirit of her mother.
After Neeraj Chopra finished in second place in the men’s javelin throw final behind Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan, his mother Saroj Devi said that the silver medal is equal to a gold medal for her. She also called Arshad Nadeem like her son, who secured the first individual gold medal for Pakistan after registering an Olympic record in javelin with a throw of 92.97m, ahead of Neeraj Chopra’s 89.45m.
During his phone call with Neeraj Chopra, PM Modi said, as per the report from ANI, “You made the country proud again. Even late at night at 1 AM, people were watching you in action, looking at you with hope.” Neeraj Chopra spoke about not being able to push himself fully due to recent injuries before saying, “I am still happy to get a medal for my country in these circumstances. There are ups and downs in sport.”
At the conclusion of the men’s javelin throw final at the Paris Olympics 2024, where Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj Chopra finished in top two positions, it was Anderson Peters of Grenada, who took home the bronze medal. His best throw at the Stade de France was 88.54m, better than the gold medal winning throw from Neeraj Chopra at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Earlier, Neeraj Chopra also spoke about his performance at the Paris Olympics 2024 to the Olympics.com, “It was a good throw but I am not that happy with my performance today. My technique and runway was not that good. (I managed) only one throw, the rest I fouled.”
