Olympian Neeraj Chopra clinched the gold medal in the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest on Sunday, with a remarkable throw of 88.17 metres.
Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won silver, while Czech Republic's Yakub Vadlejch secured bronze.
However, it was a heartwarming gesture from Chopra towards Nadeem after the javelin throw final that stole the spotlight.
In a touching display of camaraderie, Chopra invited Nadeem to join him under the banner of India’s flag in a beautiful video that is now going viral across social media platforms. Nadeem graciously joined Chopra to pose for the camera.
Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to win a gold at the Worlds while Nadeem, the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, is also the first from Pakistan to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships.
While the gesture by Chopra was widely appreciated, some social media users raised questions about the absence of the Pakistani flag during the photo op.
The absence of the Pakistan flag was noted when the medal winners gathered for photos, each standing beside their respective national flags. Neeraj Chopra, quick to notice the absence, warmly invited Arshad Nadeem to stand with him under the Indian flag.
Meanwhile, netizens questioned why Nadeem did not have the Pakistani flag with him while posing for the camera.
“Was there no one to give Pak flag to Arshad Nadeem who won the silver medal for Pakistan, India's Neeraj Chopra was also surprised," wrote one user.
During the early hours of August 28, Neeraj Chopra scripted history by securing the first gold medal for India at the World Athletics Championships in a fierce competition that saw him narrowly surpass Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem by a margin of fewer than a few feet in the final of the men's javelin throw event.
“People make it to be a rivalry but there is no bad blood between us. Even today, he came up to me and we congratulated each other. It was nice to have two Asians on the podium. It felt nice that he threw well today. There is always that India-Pak pressure and I am sure that will be amplified at the Asian Games. If you can deal with that pressure, you can deal with the Olympics pressure,” Chopra said after winning the gold medal.