In a touching gesture, India’s celebrated athlete Neeraj Chopra, often referred to as the ‘Golden Boy,’ invited his rival Arshad Nadeem to pose together for a photograph. Despite being defeated by Chopra in the pursuit of the gold medal, the Pakistani competitor displayed gracious sportsmanship and willingly joined Chopra for the snapshot.
Neeraj, who emerged victorious with the gold medal at the prestigious World Athletics Championships held in Budapest, was captured holding the Indian tricolour with pride. Arshad Nadeem, who secured the silver medal in the same championship hosted in Hungary, sportingly shared a joyful pose alongside his Indian counterpart.
“Neeraj Chopra called Arshad Nadeem for this beautiful click. Spread love not hate Between neighbours,” wrote one social media user. “Pure gold hai apna neeraj (Our Neeraj is pure gold),” wrote another.
“Along with winning the medal, we Indians have also won the hearts of the entire world. Salutations to Neeraj Ji, who has honoured the true spirit of sports. Just like Chandrayaan, this is also an unparalleled achievement for us Indians,” came from another user.
“This is the beauty of the people of my country, who have the ability to make everyone their own,” posted another Indian user on X.
“Neeraj and Nadeem are friends… Nadeem considers Neeraj as his inspiration,” one user posted.
Friendship between Neeraj Chopra, Arshad Nadeem
Back in 2016, a 19-year-old Arshad Nadeem came from Lahore to Amritsar by bus. It was during that time when his friendship with Neeraj Chopra started. It has now evolved into a heartwarming friendly rivalry.
Shortly after the Asian Games in Jakarta in the same year, Nadeem expressed his admiration for Neeraj and harboured a desire to “even beat him” one day.
In August 2022, Nadeem etched his name in the Commonwealth Games history by surpassing the prestigious 90-meter mark in javelin. His exceptional performance at Birmingham saw him outshine a field of world-class competitors, securing his country’s first athletics CWG gold in six decades with a remarkable throw measuring 90.18 meters. Neeraj did not take part in the competition due to injury.
Reflecting on his triumphant moment, Nadeem shared a sentiment of longing for Neeraj’s presence at the scene of his victory. He voiced that his triumph would have been even more exhilarating had Neeraj been in the competition, underscoring the camaraderie and competitive spirit that have blossomed between the two athletes.
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Updated: 28 Aug 2023, 10:16 AM IST
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Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
