'Happy Birthday to my friend': Arshad Nadeem wishes Neeraj Chopra on his special day

NEW DELHI: Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem extended birthday greetings to India's star javelin athlete Neeraj Chopra on Tuesday.Arshad achieved a momentous milestone for Pakistan by securing gold with a remarkable throw of 92.97m in Paris Games, establishing a new Olympic record and exceeding Andreas Thorkildsen of Denmark's previous mark from Beijing 2008. Anderson Peters from Grenada claimed the bronze medal with an 88.54m throw."Happy Birthday to my friend and fellow athlete Neeraj Chopra. Wishing you a year filled with happiness, success, better health, and joy. May you have a wonderful life ahead!" Arshad Nadeem wrote on X.The Tokyo champion Neeraj couldn't defend his title, achieving a best throw of 89.45m to secure second position. Although he demonstrated prowess in his second attempt, he registered four consecutive fouls and concluded with a silver medal.Neeraj has transformed athletics both in India and internationally. His historic achievement in Tokyo made him India's first Olympic gold medallist in athletics. He continued his success with a silver medal at Paris 2024, recording a throw of 89.45m.The opportunity to retain his title eluded him when his competitor Arshad delivered an Olympic record-breaking performance with a throw spanning 92.97m.In a recent development, Neeraj announced his collaboration with javelin legend Jan Zelezny, who has accepted the role of his new coach.Zelezny, who holds three Olympic and World championships and maintains the current world record, has been a long-standing inspiration for Neeraj.