In the Paris Games qualifying round, Chopra impressed with a season-best throw of 89.34 meters. He improved to 89.45 meters in the final, but it was not enough to surpass Nadeem, who set a new Olympic record with a 92.97-meter throw on his second attempt, making history for Pakistan.
Chopra commented during a media video interaction organized by JSW, “Nadeem is a very hardworking player and (I have) competed against him always full of positivity. That day too I was quite sure that we would have a good fight.”
He added, “After he made an Olympic record on his second attempt, it created pressure on everyone; but since I had competed with him previously, I was quite sure that I will break his record after my second attempt, which was close to 90m (89.54m), but somehow my body didn’t allow.”
Chopra’s quest for gold was marred by a foul on his first attempt, and Nadeem also missed his initial try. Chopra struggled to find his rhythm throughout the competition, registering only one valid throw out of six attempts. Despite these challenges, he secured a place in the history books.
By winning a silver medal, Chopra became only the third Indian to achieve back-to-back Olympic medals, joining wrestler Sushil Kumar and badminton player PV Sindhu. “It is never easy to perform in the Olympics, especially when you are defending your medal…From there (second throw), 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; but I will work on the things that are needed to recover well,” Chopra said.
Looking ahead, Chopra revealed, “I have finally decided to participate in the Lausanne Diamond League, which begins August 22.”