CWG 2022: Neeraj Chopra Not My Rival, Says Pakistan’s Javelin Thrower Nadeem Arshad

Birmingham: The friendship that caught media’s eye in Tokyo Olympics 2022, has been brewing between Indo-Pak rivals ever since they took part in the South Asian Games in 2016 in Guwahati. Four years ago, when Neeraj Chopra won the gold and Arshad Nadeem got bronze at the Asian Games, the Indian was slightly reserved at first, but gradually warmed up to the Pakistani counterpart.

“Neeraj bhai is my brother. I miss him here. May God give him the best of health and I get to compete with him soon,” Arshad told PTI. “He is a good person. Initially you tend to be a bit reserve. When you get to know each other, you tend to open up.

“We have a very good friendship. I hope he keeps performing for India and I keep performing for my country. We both have made an impact. We are like one family,” said the 25-year-old.

The fifth place finish at Worlds was a creditable finish for Arshad who made a comeback from injury after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He is still carrying the same elbow injury.

“After Tokyo Olympics, I participated in the Worlds after a long gap, I am feeling good about my game. I have an elbow injury and getting treated for it.”

Neeraj’s personal best of 89.94m is a tad shy of the 90m mark while Arshad’s best stands at 86.38.

“The way coaches are seeing and the way I feel about my game, I have set myself a target of 95m,” said Arshad sounding rather optimistic”

Neeraj’s gold at the Olympics captured the imagination of the entire nation and made him an overnight star. Arshad has a long way to go but says he too is getting a lot of support from his government.

“The way Neeraj bhai has got a lot of fame in your country, I have got a lot of support from my government and the people. I am really grateful for that,” said Arshad who hopes to compete in India again soon.

Inputs from PTI