Earlier on Friday, world champion Neeraj Chopra won the silver medal in the men’s javelin final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, while Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem claimed a historic gold medal in an Olympic record.
Chopra threw a season’s best of 89.45 meters. The 26-year-old fouled his first, third, fourth and fifth throws.
Nadeem became the first Pakistani to win an individual gold medal at the Olympics with a staggering throw of 92.97 metres. His final throw was also an astounding 91.79 metres. The previous Olympic record was 90.57 metres, set by Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway in Beijing in 2008.
In the qualification round, Chopra’s first throw was 89.34 metres. The Tokyo 2020 gold medallist’s personal best is 89.94 metres, achieved in 2022.
With this silver medal, he became just the fourth Indian to win two medals in an individual event in independent India. Shooter Manu Bakhel won two bronze medals at Paris 2024. Earlier, badminton player PV Sindhu won a silver medal at Rio 2016 and a bronze medal at Tokyo 2020. Wrestler Sushil Kumar won a bronze and a silver medal at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 respectively.
Currently, India has won a total of five medals, including three bronze medals in shooting and one bronze medal in men’s hockey, and is ranked 63rd in the medal tally.
