“That javelin keeps travelin'”: Indian sports fraternity lauds Neeraj Chopra for Paris Olympics silver medal

New Delhi [India], August 9 (ANI): Following Neeraj Chopra’s silver medal win at the Paris Olympics 2024, the Indian sports fraternity took to social media to express happiness at the star javelin thrower’s second successive medal at the world’s biggest sporting stage.


Chopra fell short of retaining his gold medal in the men’s javelin throw at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, securing silver with a best throw of 89.45 meters. Chopra’s best throw came on his second attempt, but he struggled with four consecutive foul throws, which prevented him from winning gold.


Following his medal win, many prominent sportspersons took to X and Instagram to express their happiness and laud the champion athlete.


Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar wrote, “That javelin goes travelin’ again! Congratulations, @Neeraj_chopra1 on winning the first silver for India at #Paris2024 . You didn’t just win a medal; you won 1.4 billion hearts, once again. Keep soaring higher! #Olympics.”


Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha also congratulated Neeraj on his medal win, saying that his medal is a proof of the “hard work he put in and the untapped potential he possesses”.


“Congratulations dear @Neeraj_chopra1 on winning the silver in javelin! As the saying goes, “Every cloud has a silver lining” and this silver- your season-best is a proof of the hard work you put in & of the untapped potential that you possess! My best wishes to you. Jai Hind,” tweeted Usha.


India’s double Olympic medalist in shooting, Manu Bhaker, also called Neeraj as the “pride of the nation”.


Former Indian head coach and all-rounder Ravi Shastri lauded Neeraj, saying that being among the best in one’s discipline in two back-to-back Olympics is a fantastic achievement. He also lauded the Pakistani javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, who walked away with the gold with an Olympic record throw of 92.97 m.


“Hey @Neeraj_chopra1, Great show! To be amongst the best in your discipline in back-to-back Olympics is a fantastic achievement. It needed a monstrous and spectacular throw from Arshad Nadeem to break the 90m barrier twice, something unheard of, to pip you into the silver position. You are one great athlete. God bless #Paris2024 #Olympics,” said Shastri.


India’s two-time Olympic medalist shuttler PV Sindhu also lauded the star athlete for joining the elite company of athletes like Sushil Kumar, Sindhu, Manu Bhaker to become a two-time individual medalist at the Olympics for India.


“Welcome Neeraj!!! This is a special club. No better person to be on here than you,” tweeted Neeraj.


India’s T20I captain Suryakumar also saluted Neeraj for his accomplishment of getting two back-to-back Olympic medals.


Indian women’s cricket team skipper Harmanpreet Kaur also wrote in her Instagram story that the country is proud of Neeraj.


Indian fencer Bhavani Devi also took to Instagram to laud Neeraj for his “brilliant silver”.


Following his performance, Chopra became the second male athlete post-independence to win two Olympic medals in an individual event.


Pakistan’s Arshad won gold with a throw of 92.97 meters, setting a new Olympic record and surpassing Denmark’s Andreas Thorkildsen’s mark from Beijing 2008. Grenada’s Anderson Peters secured bronze with a throw of 88.54 meters.


Earlier, 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, where Chopra led 9-0 in their head-to-head matchups, Nadeem’s throw of 90.18 meters at the 2022 Commonwealth Games exceeded Chopra’s top effort.

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