This is one rivalry between India and Pakistan which played out between two friends in the javelin finals at the Paris Olympics. On Thursday evening, there was a strong breeze, yet Arshad Nadeem, tall and muscular at 6 feet 4 inches claimed gold with a monstrous throw of 92.97 metres, smashing the Olympic record.
In sharp contrast, India’s golden armed boy and superstar athlete Neeraj Chopra, who was the competition’s favourite going in, had a tough day as he could not find his usual rhythm. Yet, when he ran in, sped and released the javelin in his second attempt, he touched an incredible 89.45 metres, his season’s best.
What Neeraj has achieved, winning a silver medal at Paris and his second successive medal at the Olympics, with a Gold in Tokyo, makes him a once in a generation athlete for India. When he won the gold medal in Tokyo with a throw of 87.58 meters on August 7, 2021, it was path-breaking.
Before Neeraj, an Indian athlete winning a medal in the athletics programme at the Olympics was scoffed at.
Now with two medals in successive Olympics, Neeraj has touched Himalayan heights, never accomplished before by an Indian in the track and field arena.
When Neeraj qualified easily for the final at Paris 2024, he had made it clear, the final would be different. That is what transpired as the conditions, from morning to evening and wind, were big factors.
Even with an enormous throw of 89.45 metres in his second attempt on Thursday, Neeraj’s facial expressions said it all: he was feeling the heat. With repeated ‘fouls’ over his six attempts, he was unable to find his natural rhythm. Yet what is exceptional is that he managed to seal a silver medal at the competition despite his nerves, ensuring that the agile athlete will embrace stardom for many more years.
In fact the pressure in the men’s javelin finals was visibly affecting the entire field, Arshad Nadeem included.
But the Pakistani athlete came up with a smashing 92.97m throw in his second attempt, eclipsing an Olympic record dating back to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. At that time, the record stood in the name of Norway’s Andreas Thorkildsen 90.57 metres.
For a record to stand for 16 years is history and puts in perspective what Nadeem has achieved.
Off the track and field arena, Neeraj and Nadeem are friends. Today, the Indian looked tight while the strapping Nadeem produced two magical efforts. For all those who think 90-metres is child’s play, Neeraj still winning a silver is mind boggling.
He has dealt with an adductor issue. When he skipped a big meet before the Paris Olympics it was preventive in nature.
Then again, for those interested in javelin and distances thrown, Neeraj bettered what he had achieved in Tokyo. Let it sink in, like Sushil Kumar in wrestling, PV Sindhu in badminton and Manu Bhaker winning two medals in one edition of the Paris Olympics, Neeraj has touched highs which were unthinkable.
