Sudha Murthy Lauds Neeraj Chopra for Paris Olympics Silver

Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murthy expressed gratitude to Neeraj Chopra for winning a silver medal in javelin at the Paris Olympics 2024. Despite his strong performance, Chopra's fouls marred his gold medal pursuit. Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem won gold. Neeraj aims for future improvements.

Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murthy on Friday expressed her gratitude to Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra for securing a silver medal at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024. 'We are very proud of him. God bless him. Thank You. Very happy. He won the medal consecutively for the second time,' Murthy briefly told ANI.

Neeraj Chopra's best attempt came on his second try, but he was hindered by four consecutive foul throws, preventing him from clinching the gold. His first and third attempts were also invalidated by red flags, and his final three attempts were fouls as well.

Despite a strong performance in the qualification round, throwing 89.34 meters, Chopra was unable to surpass his season best in the final. His 89.45-meter throw marked his second-best effort but was insufficient to retain his gold. Pressure seemed evident before his run, and crossing the line resulted in a red flag for his fifth and sixth attempts.

Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem secured the gold with a 92.97-meter throw, breaking the previous Olympic record set by Denmark's Andreas Thorkildsen in Beijing 2008. After the event, Neeraj Chopra shared his thoughts with ANI, stating, 'We all feel happy whenever we win a medal for the country. It's time to improve the game now. We will sit and discuss and enhance our performance.'

Chopra acknowledged the competition's intensity, stating that every athlete has their moment, and today belonged to Arshad. Expressing his determination, Chopra said, 'I gave my best, but some things need to be addressed and worked on.' He voiced confidence in India's Olympic future, declaring, 'India played well at the Paris Olympics. Our national anthem may not have been played today, but it will be heard in the future.' The Indian contingent in Paris has already won five medals so far. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)