'Arshad Nadeem also our child': Neeraj's mother wins hearts

Neeraj Chopra's father, Satish Kumar, was proud of his son's remarkable effort that saw him script history at the Paris Olympics after clinching the silver medal in the men's javelin throw final at Stade de France. "He has won silver for the country. We are happy and proud. All the youths will get inspired by him," Satish told reporters.

Neeraj Chopra's mother, Saroj Devi, captured the hearts of fans across the border with her touching remarks about Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who defeated her son to win the Gold medal. "We are happy with the silver. The one who got the gold (Arshad Nadeem) is also my child," Saroj Devi said. Her words resonating with a sense of sportsmanship and shared humanity that often transcends the fierce competition on the field.

Neeraj's grandfather, Dharm Singh Chopra, also reacted to his grandson's win and said, "He has given his best performance and won silver, adding one more medal to the country."

Arshad effortlessly sent his javelin past the 90m mark to deliver one of the greatest track and field performances in the history of the Olympics. He broke the Olympic record in his second attempt and capped off his impressive display with a remarkable throw of 91.79m to take away the gold.

Neeraj plea for Arshad

Cut to five months before the javelin final, the new Olympic champion from Pakistan was struggling to acquire a new javelin in March 2024 and it was Neeraj who had to make a heartfelt plea to support Arshad.

Neeraj was concerned when he got to know about his friend Nadeem's predicament. Chopra said, "It is hard to believe that he has been struggling to get a new javelin. Given his credentials, this should not be a big issue at all." He went on to emphasize that an athlete of Nadeem's caliber deserves the best equipment and support, both from his national federation and potential sponsors. "Arshad is a top javelin thrower, and I believe that the javelin makers will be more than happy to sponsor him and provide what he needs. This is a piece of advice from my side," Chopra added.