New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS): Paris Olympics silver medalist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra stated that he was fully positive competing against Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem and believed that he could have broken the gold medalist's Olympic record but somehow "his body didn't allow."
Chopra, who came into the final as the favourite with a brilliant effort of 89.34m in the qualifying, threw the javelin to 89.45m, his second-best ever effort, a clear improvement on the 87.58m that bagged him the gold medal in Tokyo. But that did not prove enough for the reigning World Champion and Diamond League final winner as Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem, his good friend in the sport, upstaged him by setting the Olympic record to win the gold medal with a monster heave of 92.97m.
"Nadeem is a very hardworking player and competed against him is always full of positivity and that day too I was quite sure that we would have a good fight," said Chopra to IANS in a virtual interaction arranged by JSW. "After he made a Olympic record in his second attempt it created pressure on everyone, but since I had competed him previously I was quite sure that I will break his record after my second attempt which was close to 90, but somehow my body didn't allow."
Chopra started the final with a foul on his first attempt, Nadeem too fouled his first throw while Trinidad's Keshorn Walcott took the lead with a throw of 86.16m while Anderson Peter was second at 84.70.
The Indian star did not look convincing in any of his throws except on the second turn, which was his lone legal throw on the night of 89.45m.
Chopra still made history for India, becoming the second male and third overall to win back-to-back medals in the Olympics after wrestler Sushil Kumar who won a bronze and silver in the 2008 and 2012 Games. PV Sindhu is the other Indian to win medals in successive Olympics, silver in 2016 at Rio and bronze in Tokyo 2020.
"It is never easy to perform in the Olympics and especially when you are defending your medal. The second throw and from there I knew that I can breach the Olympic record but somehow I was not able to do as my body didn't allow. I am happy that I won a silver medal for the country, not the gold but I will work on the things which are needed to recover well," added Chopra.
Chopra who is training in Magglingen, Switzerland with his coach Klaus Bartonietz and physio Ishaan Marwaha when asked which event Chopra is targeting next, he said, "I have finally decided to participate in the Lausanne Diamond League, which begins August 22."