Arshad Nadeem was better than me on the day – Neeraj Chopra after bagging Silver at Paris Olympics

India’s superstar Neeraj Chopra admitted that Pakistan rival Arshad Nadeem was better than him on the day in the Javelin throw final of the ongoing Paris Olympics. The Pakistani athlete broke the Olympic record of 90.57m, owned by Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway in the 2008 Beijing Games as he launched a 92.97 m throw in his second attempt on Thursday.

Nadeem became the first Pakistani player to win a medal in track and field and this was his country’s first Olympic medal since Barcelona 1992. 

Nadeem was in red-hot form as he catapulted another monster throw of 91.79 m in his final attempt. On the other hand, Neeraj Chopra came up with a season-best throw of 89.45 meters, which helped him secure a Silver medal.

Chopra threw four invalid throws and seemed a bit frustrated after his penultimate attempt. 

“I have been competing against Arshad since 2016, but this is the first time I have lost to him. But credit where credit is due, Arshad has worked really hard, and he was better than I was at night. Congratulations to him,” Chopra said while talking to the media.

Meanwhile, Chopra could not get the much-anticipated Gold medal, he became the fifth Indian player to win two Olympic medals after Norman Pritchard, Sushil Kumar, PV Sindhu, and Manu Bhaker. This is also India’s first Silver medal at the ongoing Games.

The Tokyo Gold medallist also revealed that he was carrying a groin injury, which added doubts to his mind.

“Whenever I throw, 60-70 percent focus is on injury. My runway was not good today, my speed was also low. Whatever I have done, I have done with this issue. I didn’t have time for surgery. I was just pushing myself,” he said. “There is a lot left in me. I have to do that. I have that feeling that I can do it. Unless I achieve that, I won’t be at peace.”