Tokyo Olympic gold medallist and India's star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra had to skip the just concluded Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham in the backdrop of groin injury. But in his absence, Neeraj's Pakistani friend Arshad Nadeem rose to the occasion and bagged gold for his nation with a record-busting throw.
Nadeem who finished fifth in Tokyo Olympics, broke the 90m barrier ahead of Grenada's Anderson Peters with a sensational throw of 90.18m throw which was also his personal best.
But the camarederie between the Nadeem and Neeraj has transcended the India-Pakistan boarders and the bond between the two is palpable. The bromance between Neeraj and Nadeem has been brewing since South Asian Games in 2016 in Guwahati.
Meanwhile, Nadeem's Pakistani coach Syed Hussain Bukhari has a wish for Neeraj. He wants to see Neeraj competing with Arshad at either Islamabad or Lahore. He also went on say that Neeraj is like their son and they will shower him with love if he ends up winning.
"Most of the time, Arshad trains at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad and Lahore too, my wish is to see Arshad and Neeraj compete at a packed stadium in Lahore or Islamabad. Neeraj is also like our son," Bukhari told Indian Express.
"I as a Pakistani promise you that if Neeraj wins, we will shower him the same love we showered on Milkha Singh Ji when he won against Abdul Khaliq in Lahore in 1960. Athletes share a common bond of love for the sports," he added.
With the 90.18m throw in the final at the Birmingham CWG 2022, Nadeem also became the first South Asian to break the 90m mark.
Chopra had missed the Commonwealth Games after sustaining an injury at the World Championships final, where he ended up winning a silver medal.
"After Arshad's Asian Games bronze and Tokyo Olympics qualification topping, I can say I get to see 30-40 javelin throwers in almost each training ground in Lahore. In recent months, I have seen youth coming from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and from near the Pakistan-China border areas come to enquire about trials at Lahore. What Neeraj did for India, Arshad's Olympic participation and today's record can do the same in Pakistan," said Bukhari.
Earlier, back in Asian Games 2018, Nadeem won the bronze medal whereas Neeraj won the gold medal. At Tokyo Olympics, the photo of the two athletes went viral. There was also a controversy over Nadeem using Neeraj's javelin but the latter doused the flames by explaining it in a social media post.
“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,” the 25-year-old had said.
