Neeraj Chopra’s Silver Medal Win Celebrated with Sweet Unity Across Borders

Neeraj Chopra’s mother, Saroj Devi, expressed joy over her son’s silver medal and also praised Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, who set an Olympic record. Neeraj’s family is preparing to welcome him with his favorite dish, Churma, celebrating his commendable performance amidst tough competition.

Elated at her son's silver medal, Neeraj Chopra's mother Saroj Devi expressed gratitude for Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who shattered the Olympic record to secure gold in Paris, likening him to her own child.

Chopra clinched the silver medal at the Paris Games with an impressive season's best throw of 89.45m, as Nadeem achieved an Olympic record-breaking effort of 92.97m on Thursday night.

This win makes Chopra the third Indian and the first in track-and-field to claim back-to-back individual Olympic medals.

'We are thrilled with the silver; both medalists are like our children, all athletes work equally hard,' Saroj told PTI Videos in Khandra, Panipat. 'Nadeem is a remarkable player, and we see no difference between Neeraj and Nadeem. We are equally proud of both medals,' she added in Thursday night's interview.

Chopra and Nadeem share a strong off-field friendship despite being rivals during competitions.

'Churma' Awaits Neeraj's Return: Chopra's fondness for 'desi khana' is well-known, and his family plans to welcome him with his favorite dish, 'Churma.' 'He performed exceptionally well. We will greet him with churma upon his return. We are overjoyed, with celebrations including firecrackers and ladoos,' Saroj said.

Chopra's performance was noteworthy, given the highly competitive field with seven athletes surpassing the 86m mark.

'We are ecstatic. He achieved his season's best. The competition was intense, and it's not only about winning gold or silver but about securing a medal. He did his utmost,' said Chopra's Aunt Kamlesh.

Chopra is one of India's most acclaimed athletes, having won gold in every major event, including the Olympics, World Championships, Diamond League, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games.

'After Tokyo, the only medal he needed was silver. Now he has accomplished that too,' Kamlesh remarked. She noted that the family anticipated that Nadeem's exceptional throw might make the gold elusive for Chopra.

'After Nadeem's throw of 92.97m, we had an inkling he would take gold, but he is also like our son, and we are happy,' she added. 'Both athletes are Asia's pride, and we make no distinction between Nadeem and Neeraj. They both received gold and silver, and we are delighted.'

(With inputs from agencies.)