Neeraj Chopra's friend became his biggest enemy, what happened in Paris Olympics?

Fans who were eager to see Neeraj Chopra perform well in Paris Olympics got to see just one glimpse of him but that one glimpse was enough because Neeraj had confirmed his place in the final but apart from him, Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan also qualified with just one throw.

Neeraj Chopra will stake his claim for the second consecutive gold medal.Image Credit: PTI

On 7 August 2021, with a tremendous throw in Tokyo, Neeraj Chopra got his name written in golden letters in the Olympic history of India forever. This 87.58 meter throw made Neeraj famous not only in the country but also in athletics around the world. 3 years after this success, once again Neeraj is eyeing to repeat that history, but also to write a new history. Neeraj, who entered the Paris Olympics 2024 with this intention, started surprisingly and made it to the finals. With this success of Neeraj, another name has come up continuously in the last 3 years and that is Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan, who has been giving competition to Neeraj every time but the friendship between these two has also been equally good and now this friend is in Neeraj's way.

After waiting for many days, the moment arrived in Paris Olympics, which Indian fans were eagerly waiting for. It was the javelin throw qualification match of Neeraj Chopra, who won a historic gold medal in Tokyo Olympics. It was expected that Neeraj would make it to the final without any trouble and this is what happened but the way Neeraj did it was surprising. Neeraj covered such a distance in the first throw, which was the highest in the entire qualification and he did this feat in just one throw.

Final ticket in just one throw

In the last few years, ever since Neeraj's name has come on everyone's lips, it has been seen that he makes it to the finals within just 2-3 throws of qualification. Despite this, Neeraj surprised everyone in Paris. His very first throw fell 89.34 meters away and he reached the finals. Neeraj, however, was not the only one to do so and Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem also made a strong entry in a similar manner. Arshad made it to the finals with his first throw of 86.59 meters. Obviously, just as Pakistani fans keep an eye on Neeraj's performance, Indian fans also keep an eye on Arshad, especially when the two are face to face.

This collision is an example of friendship

The common Indian and Pakistani fans often see the clash between Neeraj and Arshad from the same perspective as the relationship between the two countries and as seen in cricket - a lot of bitterness, animosity and only good and bad things. But whoever has seen these two clash on the field knows what kind of relationship Neeraj and Nadeem have. Competition between the two is natural but there is no bitterness in this competition. Its first glimpse was seen in the 2018 Asian Games where Neeraj won gold and Arshad won bronze. The way both of them bent towards each other on the podium, shook hands and congratulated each other.

Arshad Nadeem secures a spot in the javelin finals at the #ParisOlympics with an impressive 86.59-meter throw. #JavelinThrow #Olympics pic.twitter.com/dPgaxzGTnj

— PTV Sports (@PTVSp0rts) August 6, 2024

The best glimpse of this friendship was seen in the Tokyo Olympics, where Neeraj won the gold and Arshad finished fifth. Then a video surfaced in which Arshad was seen lifting Neeraj's javelin before the throw. It was here that the Indian media and fans attacked Arshad that he was lifting Neeraj's javelin to distract him. Finally, Neeraj himself had to pacify the fans through a video, in which he told that this is a normal process and anyone can use anyone's javelin. After this, Arshad also said that Neeraj is like an elder brother to him and he takes inspiration to move forward by learning from him.

There will be 'enmity' amongst friends for the medal

Even after this, both were seen together in many competitions. Last year, Neeraj won gold and Arshad won silver in the World Championship. Then Neeraj himself asked Arshad to bring the flag of Pakistan for the photo. Till then Neeraj kept Arshad with him under the shade of the tricolor and won everyone's heart. This is the reason why Neeraj gets a lot of respect in both the countries.

But apart from respect, the competition between the two is equally tough and it has been getting closer since the Tokyo Olympics. Neeraj is constantly moving ahead but Arshad has also improved tremendously. Neeraj did not participate in the Commonwealth Games 2022 and there Arshad won the gold by throwing a record throw of 90.18 meters. This 90 meters is the mark which even Neeraj has not been able to cross yet. Now it has become clear in the qualification in Paris that there is going to be a tough competition between the two in the final and Arshad can prove to be a big hurdle in Neeraj's path.