NEW DELHI: Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra on Monday expressed astonishment when he found out that his on field rival and friend from Pakistan Arshad Nadeem was struggling to acquire a new javelin.
“It has now got to a stage where the javelin is damaged and I have asked the national federation and my coach to do something about it before the Paris Olympics. When I started off in 2015, competing in international events I got this javelin … for an international athlete aiming to win a medal in the Olympic Games, you need proper equipment and training facilities,” Nadeem had said a few weeks back.
Chopra, who shares a great bond with Nadeem off the field said that it was really hard to believe that the Pakistan athlete was facing such a struggle for a new javelin.
“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,” Chopra said to SAI Media on Monday.
“It can’t be that he (Nadeem) doesn’t have the means to buy a javelin. He is a champion and must be doing some brand endorsements. I reckon he has earned a bit of money too. But having said that, his government can look at Arshad’s (Nadeem) need and support him just like how my government is doing so,” Chopra added.
“Additionally, Arshad (Nadeem) is a top javelin thrower and I believe that the javelin makers will be more than happy to sponsor him and provide what he wants. This is a piece of advice from my side,” he added.
With a 90.18m throw, the 27-year-old Pakistani had created a new javelin throw record at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham to claim the title. It ended Pakistan’s 60-year wait for a CWG gold medal.
Nadeem had undergone an elbow operation in the UK in December 2022. Last year, he again underwent a knee surgery and skipped the Hangzhou Asian Games, where Chopra won the gold.
Agencies

Agencies