Neeraj Chopra’s interpretation of Arshad Nadeem’s claim that he once received a buffalo as a thank you for winning an Olympic gold medal
Neeraj Chopra claimed that while he was growing up, he witnessed players being honored with buffalos and ghee.
One of the numerous outcomes of Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem’s historic Olympic gold in the men’s javelin final was his father-in-law announcing that the 27-year-old will receive a buffalo as a gift for his feat. Even though it is customarily seen as an honor in Nadeem’s hometown, the news caused some amusement, even among the muscular Nadeem.
The Olympic record holder’s great rival and friend Neeraj Chopra, who became the third Indian to win individual medals at back-to-back Olympics by taking silver in the men’s javelin final, has now reacted to the news by saying that such gifts are not unfamiliar to him either. “I was gifted desi ghee once. Back home in Haryana we also get gifts like these: 10kg desi ghee or 50kg of desi ghee. Or ladoos,” Neeraj Chopra said in a virtual interaction with the media facilitated by JSW Sports.
“Promises are made: ‘I will give Neeraj 50 kg of ghee if he wins this competition.'” Since I was a young child, I have heard people say things like this, and in the area where I grew up, wrestling and kabaddi are hugely popular. Ghee is exceptional because we think it contributes to the development of strength, which is necessary for our activity. In our area, buffalos are also blessed. Bullet motorcycles or tractors are among the gifts given to wrestlers and kabaddi players, he continued.
“I never questioned my ability to outthrow Arshad.”
On his second try, Nadeem set an Olympic record with a throw of 92.97 meters, completely overwhelming the opposition. To have a chance of defending his title, Neeraj, the current Olympic and World champion, had to clear the 90-meter barrier for the first time in his remarkable career. The one thing Neeraj had not done in a career of winning nearly every title possible was cross 90 meters, but he expressed confidence that he would accomplish it the night after Nadeem’s throw.
“I didn’t even question for a second that I could have done better. It’s not a big thing to increase your javelin distance by three to four meters.” He acknowledged, though, that although he was intellectually prepared to accomplish it, his body was not. Neeraj was dealing with an injury to his groin throughout the Olympics. On his second try, he did, however, manage a throw of 89.45 meters, his best of the season and well over the distance he achieved in Tokyo to win the gold medal in 2021.
“I couldn’t push myself that much, but it wasn’t like I couldn’t have gone that far. Though I was holding myself back physically, I was mentally prepared. On the runway, I did not have good legwork. I was making a lot of effort in the throws to make up for it. No matter how much you push yourself, it won’t work unless your legwork and technique are sound. But I’ve been able to control it, so it hasn’t gotten worse,” he remarked.
