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Neeraj Chopra is the first Indian athlete to become a world champion in the 40-year history of World Athletics Championships (WAC). The 25-year-old Indian javelin bettered his own record from last year, converting his silver to a gold in the men’s javelin event at the WAC 2023 in Budapest on Sunday.
Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem completed an India-Pakistan 1-2 in the event, claiming the silver medal behind Neeraj Chopra. Both Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem will enjoy a hefty pay day for coming out on top in the Worlds.
Neeraj Chopra will return home with a prize money of approximately Rs 58 lakh ($70,000) for winning the javelin event while Arshad Nadeem walks away with approximately Rs 29 lakh ($35,000) for winning silver medal.
India’s Tokyo Olympics gold medalist ended up with a winning throw of 88.17m, just 0.35m ahead of Paksitan’s Arshad Nadeem but that distance was enough to earn him double the amount of prize money as compared to his Pakistani counterpart.
Visuals of Neeraj Chopra’s bromance with his Pakistani rival went viral on social media. In the post-event press conference, Neeraj Chopra shared the conversation he had with the Pakistani javelin thrower and their growing rivalry.
“I met Arshad (Nadeem) after the event and we were happy that both our countries are making serious strides in the sporting arena. We were also happy to have prevailed over our European counterparts, who are stronger and very competitive. The rivalry between our two nations in sports will always be there. I feel the win here will raise the expectations of fans going into the Asian Games. We will meet again in Hangzhou,” Neeraj Chopra told the media on Sunday after his event.
Fenkon toh aise fenko ki chaar log bole Kya fekta hai yaar.
88.17 mtr door Bhaala phenka and a World Athletics Championship Gold for our Champion #NeerajChopra . The mega run continues .pic.twitter.com/9TOFl4P6uM
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) August 28, 2023
The Tokyo Olympic gold medallist wasn’t the only Indian to be competing in the final, as Kishore Jena (best of 84.77 m) and DP Manu (best of 84.14 m) finished fifth and sixth respectively. Neeraj went on to laud his compatriots for holding their nerves in the face of fierce competition and coming up with exceptional performances.
“I am delighted with Kishore Jenna producing his personal best. What made me happier still was the way they competed with the Europeans in their World Athletics Championship final. It was no mean achievement,” Neeraj added.
Neeraj will return to lead India’s medal hopes in the Hangzhou Asian Games, which is to be held from September 23 to October 8.
(with ANI inputs)
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