‘You’re an amazing athlete’: Rahul Gandhi to Neeraj Chopra on his silver medal at Paris Olympics 2024

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi congratulated Neeraj Chopra after he won silver at the Paris Olympics 2024 in one of his best performances in the javelin throw competition.

By winning silver, Neeraj Chopra has made history as he became the second male athlete to win two Olympic medals in an individual event.

“Neeraj, you’re an amazing athlete. Congratulations on your Silver medal after a spectacular performance throughout #ParisOlympics2024.You've made India immensely proud yet again,” Gandhi, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha said in a post on X.

Chopra, 26 secured the silver medal in javelin throw with a best throw of 89.45 metres. Chopra fell short of retaining his gold medal as Arshad Nadeem ended up securing Pakistan's first Olympics gold medal since 1984 with a record of 92.97m in the game.

The final match at the Paris Olympics 2024 was filled with fouls and disqualification after multiple finalists, including Chopra, made fouls during the competition.

Chopra also became the second male athlete to win two Olympic medals in an individual event. Till now, only wrestler Sushil Kumar (2008 and 2012) and shuttler PV Sindhu (2016 and 2021) have won back-to-back Olympic medals.

In his first reaction after winning the Silver medal, Neeraj said he was satisfied with the achievement and that winning a medal for the country always brings joy.

"The competition was good (today)...but every athlete have their day, today was Arshad's day...I gave my best but some things need to be looked upon and worked upon...Our national anthem may not have been played today, but it will definitely be played somewhere else in the future...,” he told news agency ANI.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi heaped praises on Chopra after he won silver at theParis Olympics 2024.

“Neeraj Chopra is excellence personified! Time and again he’s shown his brilliance. India is elated that he comes back with yet another Olympic success. Congratulations to him on winning the Silver. He will continue to motivate countless upcoming athletes to pursue their dreams and make our nation proud,” the PM said in a post on X.