The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, they say. Indeed, Neeraj Chopra's equanimity and bonhomie seem to be imbibed as values from his mother, as evidenced by her heartwarming words after her son missed out on a much-anticipated javelin throw gold medal at the Paris Olympics on Thursday (August 8). (Medal Table | Schedule & Results | Full Coverage)
In an ANI video that has gone viral on social media, Neeraj's mother Saroj Devi has called Pakistani gold medallist Arshad Nadeem "also her child" in response to questions regarding how she felt on the reigning world champion not winning his second successive gold.
"We are very happy with the silver, the one who got gold is also our child and the one who got silver is also our child....all are athletes, all work hard," Devi can be heard saying in the video.
But the warmth is not one-sided. Saroj Devi's words found resonance with Arshad Nadeem's mother Raziah Parveen. "They are not only friends but brothers and I also pray for Neeraj that he gets more success," she told 'Indy Urdu'.
"Neeraj is also like our son and I pray for him that he wins medals. Winning and losing is part of sport but they are like brothers," she added.
Neeraj and Arshad's bond is well-known and their friendship is evident each time the duo competes together at an athletics meet. But their mothers' graceful statements have served to further a mindset wherein Indo-Pakistan harmony is not an ideal but a way of life.
Arshad claimed Pakistan's first-ever Olympic individual gold with a monster throw of 92.97m. While Neeraj stood second despite a season-best effort of 89.45m, he joined Sushil Kumar, PV Sindhu and Manu Bhaker as the four multiple medal-winners from India.
