"Yeh baat sirf aik maa he keh sakti hai" - Shoaib Akhtar hails Neeraj Chopra's mother after Arshad Nadeem's Paris Olympics 2024 gold medal
Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar was in awe of star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra's mother for the way she congratulated Paris Olympics 2024 javelin throw gold medalist from Pakistan, Arshad Nadeem. Arshad set an Olympic record distance of 92.97 meters with his throw and won the gold medal, while Neeraj had to remain content with a second-place finish, thanks to his 89.45-meter long throw.
However, Neeraj Chopra's mother was delighted with how her son won the silver medal and claimed that all athletes worked hard. She also said that Arshad was like her son too and here's what she told a local news channel:
"No I am very happy. For us even silver medal is like a gold medal. The one who has won the gold medal is also my son. Everyone works really hard."
Shoaib Akhtar took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his thoughts on what Chopra's mother had to say about Arshad Nadeem. He wrote:
"'Gold jis ka hai, wo bhi hamara he larka hai'. Yeh baat sirf aik maa he keh sakti hai. Amazing." ("'The one who has won the gold medal is also my child' is something only a mother can say. Amazing)."
Shoaib Akhtar lauds Arshad Nadeem for his incredible achievement
Shoaib Akhtar posted a video on his social media to congratulate Arshad Nadeem on his fantastic achievement. Akhtar shed light on how one gold medal has transformed the mood of the whole nation. Here's what he said:
"Out of nowhere, this son of a lion has won Pakistan a gold medal. What a man you are Arshad! You have achieved this on your own, with your own hard-work and calibre. Many congratulations to you Arshad, and the whole of Pakistan. The entire mood of the country has changed with 1 gold medal. Just because of one guy, Arshad, has got Pakistan trending across the whole world."
Other cricketers from Pakistan like Babar Azam and Sarfaraz Ahmed also congratulated Arshad for his gold medal and hailed him for bringing laurels to their nation.