Fierce rivals, good friends and podium finish: The Neeraj-Arshad show has a ‘big message’ for India, Pakistan youth

Mian Channu and Khandra are as nondescript villages as they come. With one throw of the spear, they are now at the heart of the world athletics map.

The first, a modest village in Pakistan’s Khanewal district, is where Arshad Nadeem grew up as the jack of all trades.

Someone asked the young boy, big for his age, to play badminton. He did, and claims to be quite decent at it. Another person, he laughs, invited him to try football. He duly accepted it — “I was a good full-back”. Cricket came naturally to him and the burly man with strong shoulders was a “feared bowler” in his village.

An athletics coach saw him bowl and asked Nadeem to throw a javelin. “What did I have to lose?” Nadeem laughs. “Phek dia!”

Neeraj Chopra wished nothing but the best for fellow athlete Arshad Nadeem after his big win at #Paris2024! 🙌

Catch the medal ceremony LIVE from 10 PM on #Sports18 & stream for FREE on #JioCinema 👈#OlympicsonJioCinema #OlympicsonSports18 #Olympics #Athletics #NeerajChopra… pic.twitter.com/8hZiYggyoX

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) August 9, 2024

Across the border, in the other village near Panipat, Neeraj Chopra was dabbling with different things too. We know how his story goes — the overweight child, 80 kg at the age of 11, was cajoled into accompanying his father to a stadium.

The moment was life-changing. Chopra instantly fell in love with javelin, and watched in awe as the spear took off.

Their paths crossed. And the javelin throw would never be the same again. History is a loosely used cliche in sports. Last night, though, it was very real.

For the first time in the Olympics, a Pakistani and an Indian won the gold and silver medals, with the bronze going to Grenada. And for the first time, the javelin throw podium did not have an athlete from Europe.

In what Chopra described as “the greatest competition” he has been a part of, Nadeem shattered a 16-year-old Olympic record with a gigantic throw of 92.97m. Chopra, despite injury fears, executed a season-best throw of 89.45m to take the silver. Nadeem’s gold was Pakistan’s first medal of any colour at the Olympics since 1992 while Chopra became the first Indian to win gold and silver medals in individual events.

All set, all prepared, all in for the 🥇

Watch Neeraj Chopra go for glory in the Javelin final LIVE NOW on #Sports18 and stream for FREE on #JioCinema #OlympicsOnJioCinema #OlympicsOnSports18 #Olympics #Javelin #Athletics pic.twitter.com/qqoSct2Gxh

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) August 8, 2024

By the time they completed the short walk from the bright lights of Stade de France into the spotlight of a conference room, Chopra and Nadeem had transformed into something much more than mere competitors.

“It gives me a lot of happiness that I and Neeraj bhai, both from South Asia, are performing well all over the world,” Nadeem said. “This is a big message for the youth of India and Pakistan that they also work hard and make their respective countries proud.”

Chopra was equally gracious. “Arshad has done well. The athlete who works hard, and does well, we should congratulate them. For Pakistan and India, this result is very good as it gives a pathway to athletes who want to take up javelin throw,” he said.

On a magical night of track and field — where US sprint star Noah Lyles was pipped for the 200m gold and Sydney McLaughlin Levrone set a world record in 400m — the duo from India and Pakistan became the toast for thousands.

First of all, I thank Allah Almighty for this huge success, with the prayers of my parents, prayers of the entire nation and especially the tireless effort of my coach Mr. Salman Iqbal Butt and the support of Dr. Ali Sher Bajwa, I have achieved this massive milestone.
Thank you… pic.twitter.com/zpMvRMLGHA

— Arshad Nadeem (@ArshadOlympian1) August 9, 2024

Long jump gold medallist Tara Davis-Woodhall’s mouth gaped open as she passed Nadeem in the mixed zone; getting on her toes, she pointed at him and mimed the word “champion”. In the stands, a group of Dutch fans, heartbroken watching Femke Bol beaten in the 400m, gushed at Chopra’s charm, floppy hair and blue bandana.

They remained in awe of Nadeem’s brute strength and marvelled at his casualness at the throwing line, with a run-up of a military medium pacer. And admired the Indian’s calmness — even when he was under immense pressure, Chopra sat casually on the track as if he were in a garden on a pleasant summer evening.

The thousands inside the stadium were unaware of the rich rivalry — laced with deep respect — between the two. “My first competition was with Neeraj bhai in 2016 in Guwahati. Since then, Neeraj bhai has been winning,” Nadeem laughed.

Nadeem’s throw that evening at the South Asian Games was a modest 78.33m. He was just starting back then. Chopra’s star was on the rise. Years later, in Tokyo, when travelling from the village to the stadium for their Olympic debut, they sat next to each other in the bus, reliving those old memories.

Chopra’s gold medal pushed Nadeem to do better. And Nadeem’s 90-plus — a mark the Indian is chasing — throw the following year at the Commonwealth Games, where the Indian didn’t compete, inspired Chopra.

In this Aug. 27, 2018 file photo, Gold medalist India’s Neeraj Chopra with bronze medalist Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem poses for photographs at the medal ceremony of the men’s javelin throw event during the 18th Asian Games 2018, in Jakarta, Indonesia. (PTI Photo)

Even on Thursday night, when Nadeem laid down the marker with his massive second attempt, Chopra — who had fouled his first throw — was forced to bring his A game. And just like that, an Olympic final turned into a battle between the two South Asians.

“When Arshad had his throw, I had the belief that I’ll be able to manage a big one in the second throw,” Chopra said. If not for a groin injury that’s been ‘playing with his mind’, Chopra says he could have added at least 2 or 3 metres more to his best effort. “We have been competing since 2016 and it is the first time Arshad has won. It was a very good throw,” Chopra said, adding that he hoped the Pakistani thrower would “stay away from injury and continue doing well”.

In the oftentimes toxic rivalry that overshadows the great sporting contests between the sportspersons from the two countries, Chopra and Nadeem have been a breath of fresh air.

The Pakistani hoped it would stay like that. “When I and Neeraj bhai compete, every person is glued in front of a TV. We feel very happy that people from both nations watch us, pray for us.”

Fierce rivals on the field and good friends off it, they are now Olympic medallists and history makers.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.