New Delhi: Former Indian cricketer and Aam Aadmi Party MP Harbhajan Singh on Friday congratulated Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra for his silver medal in the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024.
Speaking to ANI, Harbhajan Singh said, "It is a big deal to participate and win medals in the Olympics. Very few athletes are privileged to represent their country. I salute all those who participated. This time it is silver but next time it will be gold for sure.
The AAP MP also commented on Vinesh Phogat's Olympics disqualification, saying that she deserves a silver medal.
"I stand with her in these difficult times...Only an athlete can understand her pain...She deserves a silver medal," the AAP MP said.
Chopra, 26, fell short of retaining his gold medal, finishing with a best throw of 89.45 meters. Despite a strong performance on his second attempt, he struggled with four consecutive foul throws, which prevented him from winning gold.
Chopra became the second male athlete from post-independence India to win two Olympic medals in an individual event.
Chopra's first and third attempts were invalidated by red flags, and his final three attempts were fouls. Despite a strong performance in the qualification round with a throw of 89.34 meters, his 89.45-meter throw was not enough to retain his gold.
Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem won gold with a throw of 92.97 meters, setting a new Olympic record and surpassing Denmark's Andreas Thorkildsen's mark from Beijing 2008. Grenada's Anderson Peters secured bronze with a throw of 88.54 meters.
Following the failure to defend his gold medal, Neeraj expressed dissatisfaction with his performance and revealed that the last two to three years were not good for him in terms of fitness.
Speaking after the event as quoted by Olympics.com, Neeraj said, "It was a good throw but I am not that happy with my performance today. My technique and runway was not that good. (I managed) only one throw, the rest I fouled."
AAP MP Harbhajan Singh congratulates Neeraj Chopra for bagging silver in Paris Olympics, says "You are our gold"
