In a thrilling men’s javelin throw at the Paris Olympics 2024, on Thursday, Neeraj Chopra, the reigning champion from Tokyo 2020, claimed silver, taking his second-best throw ever. Surely to put up a good fight, Neeraj’s performance was just overshadowed by Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who took gold with a truly jaw-dropping record of 92.97m for the Olympic record.
Struggles with Form and Technique
Neeraj Chopra, who managed just one valid throw of 89.45 meters in his six attempts, spoke with some disappointment after the event. “It was a good throw but I’m not that happy with my performance today,” he admitted. “My technique and runway were not that good. (I managed) only one throw, the rest I fouled.”
Injury Concerns and Challenges in Preparation
Speaking reflectively on his struggles during the final, Neeraj Chopra said, “(For my) second throw I believed in myself to think I can also throw that far. But in javelin, if your run is not so good, you can’t throw very far.” That silver-medal-winning throw came on his second attempt, and it was patently obvious that he was not at his best.
Impact of Persistent Injuries
The 26-year-old Indian ace also admitted that he was not doing well in the past two-three years and acknowledged that this was pulling him back once more. “I am always getting injured. I really tried hard, but I have to work upon my injury and technique,” he added.
Adductor Muscle Issues
Neeraj Chopra’s preparations for Paris 2024 had been marred by problems with his adductor muscles, which even forced him to pull out of several crucial meets, including the Ostrava Golden Spike. He had earlier disclosed that the problems with these adductors were dragging on intermittently for almost the past two years. He had added that he would seek further medical consultation for the same after the Olympics. “I’m not doing much throwing in training because of my groin (injury). But I will work hard in future,” he promised his fans.
Gracious Congrats to Nadeem
Despite his own challenges, Neeraj Chopra gracefully congratulated his competitor and friend, Arshad Nadeem, for his performance. “Today’s competition was really great. Arshad Nadeem threw really well. Congratulations to him and his country,” he said.
Historic Gold for Pakistan
Arshad Nadeem brought a lot of history to Pakistan with his gold medal, being the first-ever individual Olympic gold won by any Pakistani athlete and the country’s first Olympic medal since the Barcelona 1992 Games.
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Atharva Shetye
