• By Namrata Vijay
  • Fri, 09 Aug 2024 04:59 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

Paris Olympics 2024: Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a phone call to Neeraj Chopra after he clinched the silver medal in the men's javelin event. He threw at the distance of 89.45m at Stad de France and registered his season's best performance but his efforts went in vain as he failed to win the gold medal.

It was Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who clinched the gold medal by throwing at a distance of 92.97m whereas Grenada's Anderson Peters won the bronze medal by throwing at a distance of 88.54m. Post the event, PM Modi dialed to Neeraj to congratulate him for winning the silver medal.

“You made our country proud once again and people from India were watching you last night with a lot of hope,” PM Modi was heard saying on the phone call.

Also Read: Arshad Nadeem's mother calls Neeraj her son after Paris Olympics 2024 final

He also enquired Neeraj about his adductor niggle, which has been bothering him even before this mega-event began. In June this year, he also revealed that he wanted to take advice from doctors as to how he should deal with this injury.

“It’s amazing how you have managed yourself and your game despite injury. When we meet, you’ll give me the details of your injury. We will discuss it and we will figure out what I can do", PM Modi added.

Watch the video here:

PM Modi also lauded Neeraj's mother, who showed sportsmanship after he failed to defend his Olympic gold medal in the summit clash. “The interview of your mother showed the spirit of a sports family. The way she spoke about the gold medal where she said ‘he is also my son’ was beautiful,” he concluded.

"We are happy with the silver. The one who got the gold is also like our son. He was injured, so we are happy with his performance,” Saroj Devi, Neeraj's mother had told reporters after the final.

Neeraj Chopra's performance in Paris

Neeraj didn't have a great start as his first throw resulted in a foul. But then he bounced back by recording his season-best throw in his second attempt and had assured the country of a silver medal at least. He then went on to record four more foul throws but then won the silver medal on the back of his second attempt.

He has also become just the third Indian after Sushil Kumar and PV Sindhu to have won consecutive Olympic medals. At the same time, he became the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra to have won an individual gold medal for the country in the history of the tournament.