India's two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra on May 15 said that he is not close friends with Pakistan's javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem. Neeraj said that he reciprocates the respect he gets from fellow athletes but his relationship won't be the same with Nadeem following the military conflict between India and Pakistan following the dastardly terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir's Pahalgam.
India's star javelin thrower was recently subjected to online abuse as he had invited Pakistan's Nadeem to NC Classic in Bengaluru which was postponed due to the escalation on the India-Pakistan border.
"First I would like to clarify that I don't have very strong relationship (with Nadeem), we were never really close friends or something. But, because of this (tensions on the Indo-Pak border), it will not be like before. But if someone talks to me respectfully I reciprocate the respect," Chopra told reporters during a press conference on the eve of Diamond League event in Doha.
"Yes, as an athlete we have to talk, I have some good friends from the athlete community from all round the world, not only in javelin throw, but also other events. If somebody talks to me respectfully, I will also talk to him with full respect.
"Javelin is a very small community and everyone is competing for their country and everyone wants to give their best."
Earlier this month, Chopra had to clarify that the invitation for NC Classic were sent a day before the Pahalgam terror attack. He lashed out at social media trolls who targetted her mother Saroj for her statement about Nadeem after Paris Olympics where Nadeem won the gold medal.
Lieutenant Colonel Neeraj Chopra
The 27-year-old has been conferred with the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army. The Ministry of Defence's Department of Military Affairs issued a notification on May 13 about Neeraj's promotion.
Neeraj's performance in Diamond League 2024 final
Last year, Neeraj finished second in the Diamond League final. He fell short of the trophy by just one centimetre. Chopra's third javelin throw was 87.86 metre, agonisingly short of Granada's Anderson Peters who registered a 87.87 metre throw in his first attempt.