“Har baar jeetna zaruri thodi hai” - Fans stand in support of Neeraj Chopra as he settles for silver medal at Paris 2024 Olympics
Fans came forward in support of Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra, who finished second in the men’s javelin throw event at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Thursday, August 8. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist had to settle for silver in Paris with a throw of 89.45 meters, a season-best for him.
His effort was eclipsed by Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who broke the Olympic record with a 92.97-meter throw and won the gold medal for his country.
Netizens took to social media to show their support and solidarity for Neeraj Chopra, with one fan writing:
“Fir bhi ek gold to haine neeraj bhai ke pass haar baar jeetna jaruri thodi hai [Still, Neeraj Bhai has one gold medal. Winning every time isn’t necessary].”
“Always tough to carry the burden of expectation of whole nation and you carried it beautifully @Neeraj_chopra1 Proud of You ❤,” another fan posted.
“Neeraj Chopra got the only silver for us and we are still sad. Speaks a lot about his calibre,” one post read.
“Pakistan winning gold should not distract you from the fact that neeraj has won gold and silver Olympic medals in two consecutive Olympics. He should be applauded nevertheless,” another fan wrote.
“Winning 2 medals in consecutive Olympics is itself telling your achievement is huge. Congratulations 👏,” one fan posted on X.
One fan also brought up the psychological impact of Arshad Nadeem’s massive throw on Neeraj’s performance. After Arshad’s 92.97m throw in Round 2, the Indian star failed to make another valid throw, fouling his next four attempts as he tried to break the 90-metre barrier for the first time in his career.
“that throw from nadeem intimidated the hell out of neeraj and instead of giving his best, he put himself in extreme pressure resulting in this performance,” the fan posted.
Neeraj Chopra becomes first Indian athlete to win gold and silver medals at Olympic Games
Although Neeraj Chopra will be disappointed to settle for a silver medal at the Paris Olympics 2024, he created history after his podium finish at the Stade de France on Thursday. The Indian javelin thrower is now the only Indian athlete to win both gold and silver medals at the Olympic Games.
Neeraj will also be happy upon achieving a personal best record in the men’s javelin throw final, though he was soundly beaten by Arshad Nadeem’s two 90+ meter throws.
However, a note of concern for the Indian star athlete will be the five foul throws he made in six attempts.
Other than Arshad Nadeem (gold) and Neeraj Chopra (silver), Grenada’s Anderson Peters (bronze) finished on the podium with a throw of 88.54m.