Pakistani gold javelin medallist wins the internet’s heart with comments about competitor's mother

Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won Olympic gold with a record-breaking javelin throw of 92.97m, upsetting favourite, and gold medal holder Neeraj Chopra along the way. Now, the story of the two champions’ friendship is going viral, with both athletes winning the internet’s hearts.

In a heartwarming tale, some of the first congratulations for Nadeem’s win came from Neeraj Chopra’s mother, Saroj Devi, who claimed Nadeem is “like her son,” per NDTV Sports.

Nadeem responded in kind, telling reporters, “A mother is a mother for everyone, so she prays for everyone too. I'm grateful to Neeraj Chopra's mother. She's my mother too.”

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Nadeem and Chopra have a shared history, with the two battling it out on the world stage over the last few years, Nadeem took his Olympic triumph as a chance to show his pride for his heritage and Chopra, saying, “we were just two players from South Asia who performed on the world stage”.

Chopra, whose throw ended up more than three metres short of Nadeem, will not only take home a silver medal but also his mother’s pride, with Saroj Devi saying, “We are very happy. For us, silver is also equal to gold. The one who got the gold is also like our son. Neeraj was injured, so we are happy with his performance. I will cook his favourite food,” per ANI.

Chopra was full of praise for Nadeem following the javelin final, saying, “javelin is not popular in India and Pakistan. I know Arshad Nadeem worked very hard, it's a great news for him and for the people in Pakistan. He deserved to win tonight, we're both making our countries proud.”

Per The Times of India, Chopra has been instrumental in helping Nadeem along his journey to becoming a champion, with the Indian helping Nadeem secure more support from the Pakistani government after he was forced to train with a broken javelin.

For his part, Nadeem is set to be honoured by Pakistan, with the gold medallist set to receive Hilal-e-Imtiaz, which is the second-highest honour one can achieve in Pakistan, per NDTV Sports.

Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari sent a letter to be read by state media that said, “Arshad Nadeem's remarkable performance has made the nation proud on the global stage. His outstanding success in athletics is a source of pride for the country”.

Between Chopra and Nadeem, the pair has shown an incredible ability in the javelin throw, but has also demonstrated fantastic sportsmanship, helping each achieve what seemed impossible.

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