'Never thought..': Neeraj Chopra reflects on Arshad's Olympic record throw that earned Pakistan star gold medal

India's ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who secured the silver medal at the Paris Olympics, expressed his disappointment in not being able to push himself to his limits. Despite his best efforts, Chopra was unable to retain his gold medal in the men's javelin throw at the recently concluded marquee event, settling for silver with a best throw of 89.45 meters. 

During a virtual press briefing, Neeraj admitted that while he was mentally prepared, he fell short in the physical aspect. The 26-year-old acknowledged that his legwork was not up to par during the final competition.

"I never thought I couldn't do it... Arshad Nadeem's previous best was at 90.18 metres which he threw at the Commonwealth Games, and my previous best was 89.94 metres... I couldn't push myself to my extreme. Mentally I was ready but physically, I was retraining myself. My legwork on the runway was not how it should have been. My efforts were going in vain. My throw immediately after Nadeem's throw was good because I was extremely positive," Neeraj said.

Neeraj recently announced his upcoming competition, stating that he will be participating in the Lausanne Diamond League set to commence on August 22nd.

"I have finally decided to participate in the Lausanne Diamond League, which begins August 22," he added.

Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan achieved a remarkable feat by winning the gold medal in the javelin throw event with a distance of 92.97 meters, setting a new Olympic record and surpassing the mark set by Denmark's Andreas Thorkildsen in Beijing 2008. Anderson Peters of Grenada secured the bronze medal with a throw of 88.54 meters.

In the Group B qualification round, Nadeem's closest competitor, Neeraj Chopra, achieved a throw of 89.34 meters, which was his second-best throw of all time. Despite Chopra leading 9-0 in their head-to-head matchups, Nadeem's throw of 90.18 meters at the 2022 Commonwealth Games surpassed Chopra's best effort. The competitive rivalry between Nadeem and Chopra has been intense, with both athletes pushing each other to new heights in the sport of javelin throwing.

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