"Hard to believe" – Neeraj Chopra on Arshad Nadeem ‘struggling to get a new javelin’

India’s golden boy Neeraj Chopra believes an athlete of Arshad Nadeem’s class and calibre should not be struggling to find a new javelin.

“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,” Chopra told SAI Media on Monday.

Earlier this month, Nadeem said that he has had his headaches over getting a new javelin before the Paris Olympics get underway later this year.

Nadeem opened up, saying that his javelin had been damaged after using the sporting equipment since 2015. He said that he needs the new javelin to prepare better for the quadrennial event in Paris.

“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,” Nadeem was quoted as saying by espn.in.

“For an international athlete aiming to win a medal in the Olympic Games, you need proper equipment and training facilities,” he added.

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Neeraj Chopra, Arshad Nadeem rising together

Both Neeraj and Nadeem burst onto the scene back in the Tokyo Olympics two and a half years ago. Neeraj has medals to his name in the Olympics and Asian Games. However, it is Nadeem, who has breached the 90-metre mark while Neeraj is yet to achieve the feat.

Nadeem achieved the landmark in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, a tournament that Neeraj missed due to a groin injury.

Back in June 2022, Neeraj achieved his best throw of 89.94 meters during the Stockholm Diamond League in Sweden. He also won the gold medal in the World Athletics Championship last year in Budapest.

Nadeem could not win a medal in Tokyo, but after how he performed in Birmingham where he produced a throw of 90.18 meters, he will be high on confidence.

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