"She's my mother too" - Arshad Nadeem reacts to Neeraj Chopra’s mother’s comments
Arshad Nadeem, who received a hero's welcome upon his return to his home early Sunday, responded warmly to Neeraj Chopra’s mother’s remark that “he is also our son,” saying, “She is my mother too.”
Arshad Nadeem made history in the men's javelin throw final at the Paris Olympics 2024 after logging in a throw of 92.97 meters, an Olympic record at the event.
"A mother is a mother for everyone, she prays for everyone too. I am grateful to Neeraj Chopra's mother. She is my mother too. She prayed for us, and we were just two players from South Asia who performed on the world stage,” Arshad Nadeem told Pakistani media.
This was Pakistan's first Olympic medal in 32 years at the Summer Games and their first gold medal in four decades.
“The one who got gold is also our child,” said Neeraj Chopra’s mother
After Neeraj Chopra settled for the silver medal with his season-best throw of 89.45 m in the javelin throw finale at the Paris Olympics, his mother, Saroj Devi, expressed happiness for Chopra while also acknowledging Nadeem's gold medal effort.
"We are very happy with the silver, the one who got gold is also our child," Saroj Devi said.
Arshad Nadeem's mother, Raziah Parveen, also expressed her heartfelt admiration for the ace Indian javelin thrower, Neeraj Chopra, calling him a brother to her son.
"He is like a son to me. He is Nadeem's friend and also like a brother," Parveen told Pakistani media.
After the final, Olympics.com organized a Q&A session where Neeraj Chopra mentioned that his mother speaks from the heart, avoids social media and does not follow much news.
"My mother has grown up in a village. She grew up in a normal family and even after marriage, she has been living in a village. She is not on social media. She doesn't watch a lot of news. Whatever she has in her mind, she speaks it. She speaks from her heart,” Neeraj Chopra told Olympics.com.
Both India and Pakistan celebrated the achievements of their javelin throwers enthusiastically.