Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialed up Olympic and World Championships gold medalist Neeraj Chopra following his silver medal win at the Paris Olympics, congratulating him for achieving a medal for the second consecutive time at the prestigious event.
During their phone call, PM Modi praised Chopra for making the nation proud once again. He said, “You have made the country proud once more. Even at 1 AM, people were glued to their screens, watching you with hope.” The Prime Minister also acknowledged Chopra’s consistent performances despite recent fitness challenges.
PM Modi inquired about Chopra’s injury and commended his mother, Saroj, for her exemplary sportsmanship in congratulating Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who won gold and set a new Olympic record.
Chopra, who secured silver with a best throw of 89.45 meters, admitted that his injuries had limited his performance. He stated, “I am still happy to get a medal for my country under these circumstances. There are ups and downs in sport.”
Nadeem claimed the gold with a throw of 92.97 meters, surpassing Denmark’s Andreas Thorkildsen’s previous Olympic record from Beijing 2008. Grenada’s Anderson Peters won the bronze with a throw of 88.54 meters.
Earlier in the competition, 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, in which Chopra had a 9-0 head-to-head record, Nadeem’s throw of 90.18 meters at the 2022 Commonwealth Games had surpassed Chopra’s top effort.
Following the event, Chopra expressed his dissatisfaction with his performance and reflected on the past few years, noting that they had been challenging in terms of fitness.