New Delhi: Two-time Olympic medalist, Neeraj Chopra has blamed the lack of concentration in the Paris Olympic Games Finals for the loss against Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan in the final of the men’s javelin throw event. Neeraj has already become the poster boy of India by clinching the historic gold medal in Tokyo which also became the first medal of India in a track and field event.
However, Neeraj’s second attempt to clinch one more gold was marred by a phenomenal and astonishing throw from Nadeem. The Pakistani athlete managed an astonishing 92.97m in his second attempt to set the bar too high for the rest of the field. Chopra who was competing toe-to-toe with Nadeem was taken aback completely by Arshad’s throw.
Subsequently, to close the gap, Neeraj made a desperate attempt to clinch the gold medal. However, Chopra’s shot at the gold medal ended with a silver-winning 89.45 m. Neeraj only managed one legitimate throw which made the entire job a bit more difficult.
Why did our poster boy fail?
Although the silver medal is also a huge achievement for Neeraj given the fact that Chopra’s injury scare before the Paris Olympics, the Indian athlete revealed that Nadeem’s performance had impacted his performance as well. In a recent interview, Neeraj said-
Uske baad Nadeem ne achi throw lagayi phir meri second throw bhi achi nikli. Uske baad kya hua ki kayi baar ham bolte hain na ke josh ke sath hosh bhi rakhna chahiye. Toh uss din shayad mera hosh nahi tha. Uss din mein josh mein tha. Bohot zyada gussa tha ke mujhe karna hai. Lekin kahin na kahin jo technical chizen hain wo chhoot gayin….
Even though Neeraj failed to clinch a second gold medal, he became the first Indian track-and-field athlete to win two successive Olympic medals.