Paris Olympics: Fitting Indo-Pak rivalry! Neeraj helped Arshad in acquiring new javelin before mega event

In the men's javelin final at Paris Olympics 2024, on Thursday (Aug 8), India's Neeraj Chopra settled for silver courtesy of the 89.45m throw, whereas Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem won gold with a record-breaking throw of 92.97m. Thus, Arshad ended Neeraj's reign as the world champion and also became the first individual athlete from Pakistan to win gold at the Olympics.

The journey for Arshad has not been easy. Just five months before the showpiece event, the Pakistani javelin thrower was struggling to get a new javelin. 

Arshad told the media in March 2024, "It has now got to a stage where the javelin is damaged and I have asked the national federation and my coach to do something about it before the Paris Olympics." He further opined, "When I started off in 2015, competing in international events, I got this javelin... for an international athlete aiming to win a medal in the Olympic Games, you need proper equipment and training facilities."

Further, Arshad revealed that he had been using the same javelin for nearly seven to eight years. This is when the news spread like wildfire and India's golden boy Neeraj took charge of things.

Also read: Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem ends nation's 32-year wait for an Olympic medal; becomes first individual to win gold

HOW NEERAJ CAME TO ARSHAD'S AID

When Neeraj got to know about his friend Arshad's predicament, he made a plea to the sporting fraternity and the javelin makers during an interview with SAI Media. He said, "It is hard to believe that he has been struggling to get a new javelin. Given his credentials, this should not be a big issue at all." 

The Indian star added, "Arshad is a top javelin thrower, and I believe that the javelin makers will be more than happy to sponsor him and provide what he needs. This is a piece of advice from my side."

Five months post this, Arshad created history in Paris Olympics by winning a historic gold. While Neeraj couldn't defend his Olympic title, he won silver and became the second Indian male athlete to win multiple Olympic medals in post-independence after Sushil Kumar. 

While Neeraj couldn't defend his title, he did play a crucial role in helping his friend and rival Arshad get a javelin. This surely is a perfect example of how a rivalry should be, especially an Indo-Pak one!