[In Pictures] Sunil Chhetri's reaction on meeting Paris Olympics 2024 silver medalist Neeraj Chopra

Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra, who recently won a silver medal in the men’s javelin throw event at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024, caught up with former Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri in the French capital.

In pictures shared on Instagram by Bengaluru FC, where Chhetri currently plies his trade, the legendary striker can be seen all smiles with Neeraj’s silver medal in his hand. The talented javelin thrower also appeared to be happy standing beside Chhetri.

“Yes, that’s exactly how you react to being handed an Olympic medal! 😆” the caption read.

In another picture, Chhetri, who has been capped 151 times for his country, can be seen in conversation with Neeraj, who became the first-ever Indian athlete to win both a gold and a silver medal in consecutive Olympics.

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Call from PM, prayers from Arshad Nadeem’s mother: Neeraj Chopra receives praise after his silver medal win at Paris 2024

The Paris 2024 Olympics might be a slight disappointment to Neeraj Chopra after all, as a large majority of javelin followers expected him to win a successive gold medal in the Olympic Games after Tokyo 2020. However, despite settling for a silver medal, the poster boy of Indian athletics has received adulation from all corners of the world.

Neeraj Chopra was dialed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his medal win, with the latter saying:

“You’ve given your best despite injuries and we are proud of you. This silver medal is gold for us.”

However, the highest praise was reserved for him from the mother of Arshad Nadeem, his rival who clinched a gold medal with a monstrous 92.97m throw in the men's javelin final event.

In an interview with a Pakistani news channel, Arshad’s mother said:

“He [Neeraj] is also like my son. He is Nadeem's friend and also his brother… May god bless him, may he win medals. They are like brothers, I've prayed for Neeraj too.” [H/t India Today]