Shoaib Akhtar Lauds Neeraj Chopra's Mother For Embracing Arshad Nadeem As 'Our Son'

Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar praised Neeraj Chopra's mother, Saroj Devi, for her heartfelt comment after Neeraj won a silver medal in the men's javelin throw at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Saroj Devi expressed joy over Neeraj's achievement and acknowledged Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, who won gold, as being like her son. Her statement quickly went viral.

Neeraj Chopra made history by becoming the first Indian track-and-field athlete to win two consecutive Olympic medals. He achieved his season-best throw of 89.45 meters in the qualification round and improved with an 89.34 meters throw in his second attempt during the final.

Despite six attempts by all top eight finalists, Arshad Nadeem's new Olympic record throw of 92.97 meters in his second attempt remained unbeaten. This marked Pakistan's first-ever individual gold medal at the Olympics.

Shoaib Akhtar, who had a close bond with his late mother, shared Saroj Devi's exact words on X (formerly Twitter). He added that only mothers could express such sentiments. His post read: "Gold jis ka hai, wo bhi hamara he larka hai". Yeh baat sirf aik maa he keh sakti hai. Amazing." (The person who won gold is also our son. This can only be said by a mother. Amazing).

"Gold jis ka hai, wo bhi hamara he larka hai".
Yeh baat sirf aik maa he keh sakti hai. Amazing.

Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) August 9, 2024

Mutual Respect Between Athletes

Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem share a healthy relationship and mutual respect for each other. Earlier this year, Neeraj supported Arshad when he struggled to obtain a new international-standard javelin.

"It is hard to believe that he has been struggling to get a new javelin," Neeraj said in support of Arshad Nadeem. "Given his credentials, this should not be a big issue at all. Arshad is a top javelin thrower, and I believe that the javelin makers will be more than happy to sponsor him and provide what he needs."

Saroj Devi celebrated Neeraj Chopra's historic victory and remarked that Arshad Nadeem was also like her son. Her statement resonated widely and was shared extensively online.

"We are happy with the silver," she told ANI. "The one who got the gold (Arshad Nadeem) is also our child."

The camaraderie between Neeraj Chopra and Arshad Nadeem highlights the sportsmanship and mutual admiration between athletes from different nations.